Roswell: A Lovers' Journey
by Quick-n-Popular
Summary: Upon leaving Roswell, the six soon find that their challenges do not leave them as they meet new challenges: Maria getting pregnant, the return of Rath, Lonnie, and Ava, the awakening of Kyle's new power, and so much more.
1. After Graduation

**Roswell: A lovers' Journey**

By _**Quick-n-Popular**_

Disclaimer: Michael would kick the crap out of me if I ever claimed I owned any of this, so I'm keeping my mouth shut.

Friday, June 12th

Michael Guerin had never expected his life to have gone the way it did, nor to be in the company of so many friends. Having grown up with a chip on the shoulder, being the poster child for domestic child abuse, the only two people he ever tried to let in were Max and Isabel Evans. Ever since the sixth grade, where he had met Isabel and soon after Max, did he understood that he wasn't alone as he thought he was. Max was always someone he looked up to, an inspiration, a friend, and a brother. Isabel was a comfort. His love for her went so deep; it probably could never be extracted. She was a good supporter of him and thus a wonderful friend. These two helped him so much in school, made damn sure that they were for him no matter what happened.

Then there was Maria. That fateful day at the Crashdown Café, where despite Michael's warnings, Max took it upon himself to do a noble thing and save the life of Liz Parker, who had been shot. Their fate was sealed after he did that, but it soon brought in more people. Maria being the first. Michael wasn't sure of what to make of her, other than her being the only girl in school to have her nose inside a vial and inhaling god only knows what, and being friends with Max's, then, crush, Liz. The more time they spent together meant, the more time Michael was with Maria. At first, he just thought she was going to be the one who would destroy their secrecy. Her consistent paranoia around the three made it obvious that she was unsettled by the information on who they really were. Thank god for Isabel changing that. Soon, Michael's relationship changed with Maria's as well, when he stole both her and her car to go and find the destination to the "key" he had found. Stopping off at a sleazy motel, he actually found out there was more to her than he thought, and he expected it was likewise. Michael laughed to himself as he remembered them being discovered, with Maria, who had rolled in her sleep, came off the bed and on top of Michael, just when Max, Isabel, and Maria had stepped in. Michael would never tell this to Maria, but he actually enjoyed it.

Now, driving across Interstate 84, close to the crossing into the Potato State, Idaho, with Maria's sleeping head resting on his shoulder while he drove, Michael Guerin smiled.

They've been driving for two months now, had to retreat back west when someone from a police department had recognized their vehicle as one of those who were being labeled as the suspicious ones that had left Roswell short of the graduation ceremony. Two hours ago, Michael had volunteered to drive and they had just now crossed over from Wyoming. Their travel has been as it always had, with no destination in mind.

Michael's eyes were diverted from the road as Maria, sleepily, moved her head from side to side against his shoulder. Michael kissed her on top of the head. Seeing a turn off at a town called Twin Falls, Michael decided to pull over and get some Snapple and some food. As soon as he was off the off-ramp, he saw to the right of him a gas station called the "Flying J". Moments later he pulled in. The over bright lights of the place awoke the passengers in the vehicle.

"Where are we?" Max asked groggily.

"Twin Falls, Idaho. I'm getting some supplies, anyone want anything in particular?" Michael asked as he took off his seat belt.

"No, but I gotta take a whizz." Kyle said.

"Me too." Liz said, and kissed Max as she slid open the side door of the van allowing her, Kyle, and Isabel to get out.

"How about you?" Michael asked Maria. "Can I get you anything?"

Maria smiled and kissed him. "I'm fine. Just need to stretch my legs."

"I'll join you." Said Max as he too got out of the van.

Getting out, Michael took out a small box containing large amounts of ones, five hundred to be precise. This was the money Liz had for them when she got back the refund for her plane ticket that she had originally to go to Sweden. Max had the large bills converted into ones, just in case someone broke into the van. They also had several amounts of cash lying around in their pockets, and in their bags, should they ever need it. Michael took out four one-dollar bills and converted them into twenties.

Making his way inside, he noticed how a lot of the state's paraphernalia was on the potato. There was everything from potato shot glasses, salt shakers, hats, and t-shirts. Michael laughed, having grown up in Roswell where there was nothing but Alien junk it was funny to see a different sort of craze.

Michael went over to the fridges and brought out six bottles of Snapple and to his delight, found a large bottle of tobascco sauce as well. Then, he found several self-cooking meals and took everything up to the counter.

"Is this everything?" The woman asked.

Michael nodded and handed her two twenties. She then took out a black pen and marked a line on the bill. When the ink came up brown she put the two bills into the till and handed Michael the change back.

"You have a great evening, sir." She said.

Michael nodded, courteously, "Thanks."

After se had bagged the items and handed them to him, Michael went into the back to see if Kyle was still in the bathroom. Seeing that he wasn't Michael went outside and found group leaning against the van, all were waiting for him.

He took out the Snapple and handed out one for each of them.

Kyle groaned, "Ah, man. I've told you guys I'm a Dr. Pepper guy. I'll be back." He sighed and handed his bottle to Isabel and went back in.

"I asked him. Too bad." Michael grinned.

Max, taking a look at a local state plate and having it memorized, walked over to their plate and masked it to be an Idaho plate; he then went to the back of the van and did the same. Michael then waived his hand in front of the van and turned it dark green, from its previous gold color.

"Thank God." Remarked Isabel. "I was so sick of us driving in a giant Twinkie."

This got a chuckle out of the five.

Kyle returned with his drink along with a road map.

"Arrgh! Thanks, Kyle, I forgot." Michael said, hitting himself on the forehead.

Michael took the map and laid it down on top of a newspaper bin.

"Okay, we're in Twin Falls, where to from here?" Michael asked everyone.

"I'm not sure. I don't know anything about Idaho." Said Max.

Maria looked over the map and pointed to a city with a star below it, symbolizing it being the state's capital. "Why not here?"

"Boise? Why there?" Michael asked.

"Well, it's the capital, and I'd really to go shopping."

Michael gave her an "Are you kidding me?" look.

"What are you talking about, Maria? If you want to have different clothes you know we could always help you with that." Max said.

Maria sighed, "Thanks but, I'd really liked to see what's out there in a state I've never been to."

Both Isabel and Liz nodded.

Michael knew he wasn't going to win over this so he decided to bow out.

"Fine. We'll go to Boise. Maybe they'll have something for all of us." Everyone then popped back into the van and Max took over the driving leaving Michael and Isabel to snuggle next to each other in the back.

* * *

Jeff Parker looked to the doors of the café, after hearing the door chime, hoping that his daughter was to be coming through those doors. He sighed upon seeing it was only Jim Valenti going over and taking his usual spot on the stool next to the register.

After having read his daughter's journal and then going through several bottles of Jim Beam, Jeff Parker still, to this day, had no idea what encouraged her daughter to depart the way she did. Nor did Amy DeLuca, Maria's mother, who was at bigger lost after reading Liz's journal.

Jeff and Amy had agreed that all of this happened when their daughters had spent more and more time with Max and his friends.

Did he blame Max? That was harder to answer. He was convinced at one point, after Liz had been arrested along with Max for robbing a convenience store, that Max was burden in his daughter's life. But now, after reading his daughter's journal, and having related it's material to both Jim and the Evans', he was brought more and more into uncertainty. Amy was convinced that Michael was a drug dealer and that Maria was pregnant with his child and was forced to be with him. And Jeff? He knew in his heart that trusting his daughter's words could he hold onto any sanity he had left. Even though her own words seemed too incredible to be believed, never once did Liz ever lead him to believe anything negative about her. Nancy was even more of a wreck than he was. Her announcing her marriage to Max and her disappearance had her sitting up in Liz's bedroom for long periods of time, crying her eyes out. Jeff, for the life of him, didn't know what to do.

Jeff looked to the doors again, this time to see Sean DeLuca, Maria's cousin, come in and sit down in a booth. Jeff sighed as he got up from his place and walked over to take Sean's order.

"What can I get you, Sean?" Jeff asked.

Sean looked at the menu and then reached into his back pocket and produced a photo.

Jeff looked at the photo, which was a picture of a van.

Jeff immediately seized the photo.

"Is this what I think it is?" He asked feverishly.

Sean smiled, "Yeah, but not only that." He then extracted two others of the six sitting outside of a gas station.

Jeff sat down in the booth holding his hand against his mouth as he closed his eyes.

Jim, who was taking interest in Jeff's change of behavior, joined them.

"What'cha got there?" He asked. Sean handed him the photo.

Jim Valenti looked squarely at his son in the picture. "Thank god they're all right."

Jeff Parker looked at Sean, "Where did you get these?"

Sean smiled again, "Some old buddy of mine from when I was in Juvie took these after I tried calling out to anyone who might know where they might have gone."

"Where were these taken?" Jeff asked.

"Well, that one was taken in Aspen, Colorado two weeks ago, the other was taken yesterday. I tried going to Aspen but they were already gone by the time I got there." Sean said.

Jeff put a hand on Sean's shoulder, "Thank you son. Tell me, does anything give us a clue, besides that they switch vans?" Jeff asked.

Jim was feeling nervous about talking about these kids with so many people in the café.

"Uh, Jeff, maybe we should talk about this somewhere a little more discreet. How about at the Evans', I'm sure they'll want to know their kids are doing okay and we'll call Amy as well."

"Aunt Amy has already seen these." Sean said. "She's on her way back from Aspen as we speak."

Jim smiled, he knew how Amy acted once she had her heart set on something, and when it came to her daughter that went into overdrive.

"By the way, Jeff, that's the same van. They just changed the paint job, that's all." Jim remarked pointing at the photos.

"I'll be…you're right. We need to see if we can get these license plate numbers down, have the highway police track them down for us." Sean stated.

Jim shook his head, "No, we can't. These kids don't need any exposure. They're marked. We can't get them back here."

Sean stood up and poked Jim in the chest. "Listen! They're on the run because you allowed them to leave! You, an officer of the law! Now, I'm going to find my cousin and them and get them back here!" Sean then slammed his shoulder against Valenti's and stormed out.

Jim was wondering if he was going to get the same treatment from Jeff.

Jeff sighed, still clutching the photo, "I don't know what to do anymore, Jim. Liz, you, and the Evans' are saying Max, Michael, and Isabel are aliens? Liz is saying she has powers? They're all running from everyone, and we can't do a damn thing to protect them…Why? Why us? Why OUR kids?"

Jim sat down in Sean's vacant seat, shrugging. "I don't know, Jeff. The only thing I do know is that I can trust them to make good decisions."

Jeff sighed, again, "I guess. But to not even say goodbye, hurts the most."

Jim nodded, "I know. I'm sorry you all weren't with me that night."

Jeff looked up; "I don't blame you Jim. With the FBI trashing this place and my home, I'm surprised they didn't leave sooner."

* * *

Liz awoke when they'd arrived to Boise, stopping at a hotel called the "Red Lion Inn" Kyle and Michael were unpacking their things and Max, Isabel, and Maria were talking with the clerk inside.

Liz got up and stretched. She silently cursed Max for not having wake her when they had arrived, which she expressed vocally to him once she met back up with him inside.

"You could've nudged me or something."

Max scratched the back of his head, "I'm sorry but you looked like you wanted the extra hour."

Maria smiled, "Told ya, Max."

They were soon set up with four rooms and they had help with their luggage from the bellhops.

Michael and Maria had their room as did Liz and Max, the only ones who slept alone were Isabel and Kyle.

Maria walked around the room she and Michael were given with silence. They had been to numerous hotels and motels ever since their departure of Roswell, and this one seemed to blend in with those others, showing no sign of uniqueness.

Michael soon came in and crashed down on the bed.

"I always look forward to this time, when I have a bed instead of a cramped seat." He said, stretching.

Maria smiled, looking at him. Whatever possessed her to stay with him as long as she has, has been a mystery to her. This man-child could be a charming, well meaning, loving man. Then there were times when he acted in his most self-serving ways. But, when it all came down to it, she loved him.

Maria lay down next to him as he grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels.

"Crap…crap…crap…crap…" He continued.

Maria sighed and snatched away the remote and turned off the set.

She then kissed him.

"I love you." She said.

"I know. I do too." He replied.

The two then went back to kissing each other, which led to him being on top of her, and then the removal of clothes…

Day soon set in and birds outside were giving their wake up call to the entire world. The light slowly setting in to the room, soon shined it's light on the two.

Maria closed her eyes and placed a hand out in front of her to castaway the glare from her face. Getting up, holding the bed sheet around her like a toga, she moved her way to the bathroom. Michael shifted to the opposite side to get away from the sunlight.

Maria looked at the digital clock on the counter in the bathroom, noting that it was almost noon.

Maria turned on the shower and got inside. The warm hot water brushing away the morning after glow's coat from her. Maria inhaled the warm, soothing vapors that arose from the water, and took a bar of soap and proceeded to further cleanse herself. It was only when she moved the bar from her stomach, back up to her left shoulder blade, did she feel something strange. Looking down she saw ripples come from the skin of her stomach. As if the skin was a wave upon a beach, it seemed to ripple from an area above her belly button. Maria gasped when she saw a tiny red hand print glow and appear from that area.

_**To be continued…**_


	2. New Secrets and Family Searches

**Chapter 2: New Secrets and Family Searches**

Michael immediately got out of bed when he heard a loud sound come from the bathroom. Heading on inside, he found Maria lying on the floor of the shower with blood coming from the side of her head. Grabbing a towel, he picked up Maria and took her out of the bathroom and laid her on the bed, he then walked up to the wall and pounded it.

"Max! Come here quick!" He yelled.

Michael then quickly got some pants on and no sooner did Max arrive, but also did Liz and Isabel.

"Maria!" Shouted Liz, and she quickly went to her friend and lifted her head. "What happened?"

"I heard a loud noise from the bathroom and when I went in she was lying on the floor, with her head bleeding." Michael said.

While Max attended to her wound, Isabel went to the bathroom to clean away the blood.

Maria's wound disappeared just as Kyle appeared at the doorway.

"What happened?" He asked, whilst rubbing his eyes.

Maria slipped in the shower and hit her head." Liz answered.

Michael paced back and forth rubbing the back of his head, "Well, is she gonna be ok?"

Max sighed, "I'm not sure, Michael. The wound's gone; she's not in any immediate danger. I think we just have to wait until she gets up."

Michael sat down, sighing.

Isabel put her hand on his shoulder, "It's going to be okay. Maria's going to get up soon."

No sooner had she said it, Maria's eyes went wide open and she sat up abruptly.

"Michael!!!" She shouted.

While Michael rushed to her side, Liz helped bring up the towel, which went south when she had sat up, exposing a little too much of herself.

"Maria, what?" He asked.

Maria breathed hard, and she noticed that everyone was in the room.

"Oh, uh, how did I get out here?" She asked, deciding to talk to him later in private.

"You fell in the shower." Max replied.

Maria looked down and sighed in thankfulness that she had something covering her.

"Thank God." She said.

However, Maria felt her stomach making the same odd jumble, and she soon got up.

"I need everyone to clear out so I can change, if that's okay?"

Everyone, minus Michael, cleared out and as soon as Isabel had left, Maria turned to Michael.

"Michael…I need you to look at something." She started to untie the towel when Michael sighed.

"Again? Can't we get some breakfast first?"

Maria slapped him on the back of the head, "No, idiot, I mean something's happening to me."

Michael gave her a cocky look and then sighed, "Alright, go ahead and show me."

Maria took off her towel and looked at Michael, expecting him to be freaked out.

"Well?" She asked.

Michael put a hand on his chin and shrugged, "Well, as far as I can tell you've got an innie rather than an outtie."

Maria looked down at her stomach moving her hands all over the area to where the handprint was in, "No! It was here it was right here!"

"What was?" Michael asked.

Maria sighed and went to get some clothes to put on.

"Forget it. I'm sure it was nothing."

* * *

Amy DeLuca walked in and sat down in the Crashdown Café and found herself hiding her face behind her menu when Jim Valenti came in to pick up his order.

It was childish, she knew. But she couldn't bear to look at him. Last time they spoke she yelled at him for not stopping her daughter and her friends from leaving town. It took time, but she had forgiven him, and now she had found news about the kids and she found herself guilty for having reacted the way she did. The FBI along with other hounded her for information, which she knew, was not true. It was then that she realized that her daughter was in trouble. Sean had came back from a friend and showed her the pictures. Relief filled her when she saw her daughter in the picture. Seeing Michael Guerin next to her didn't. Liz Parker's Journal seemed like a convoluted story built to hide why they really left. Phillip and Diane seemed to be holding back something as well, because they confirmed what had been written.

Amy sighed a loud breath of relief when she saw Jim leave and drive off in his suv. She then waited until Sean showed up.

Sean returned with a smile on his face, which to Amy meant good news.

"Did you find anything?"

Sean nodded as he sat down across from her. "Tom, my cellmate, found them with Idaho license plates driving north to Boise. I called all of the hotels there and six people matching their description checked in at a place called the "Red Lion Inn"."

Amy pulled Sean's head forward and kissed him on the top of the head.

"You wonderful, wonderful, boy! I'll call the airlines and book us two tickets."

Sean's grin widened as he extracted from his pocket two tickets, "Ready whenever you are Aunt Amy."

Sitting in the back, two people who had the faces of an elderly couple listened with interest to the conversation being held by Amy and Sean.

"Ah, so they're in Idaho, huh?" Said the man.

"Yeah, but we's got to be quick if we gonna catch them." Said the woman.

The man smiled, "Right you are, Lonnie."

* * *

By the time Michael and Maria had gotten down to the diner in the lobby, most of the group had been half way through their breakfast.

Maria knew she had to talk to Liz about what she had witnessed in the shower.

However, she seemed more preoccupied with Max, seeing as how he had spilt oatmeal all over himself.

"We need to get you a bib, Max." Grinned Kyle.

Max shot him a narrow look, while Michael and Maria sat with the group.

"What kept you guys?" Asked Isabel.

Michael shrugged, "Maria thought something was wrong with her stomach. Turns out it was nothing."

Liz looked worryingly toward Maria, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Maria smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I guess it was due to all the driving we've been doing. I'm sure it's nothing."

Everyone except for Liz bought that statement. Liz knew her friend better than anyone. She decided, though, to keep quiet until she could talk to Maria alone.

Suddenly, the hotel's clerk came up to the group and cleared his throat, "Excuse me, which one of you is "Maria"?"

Maria, surprised, got up. "I am."

"You've got a call at the front desk." He said.

The group looked at Maria in fear and suspicion.

"Who the hell knows we're here?" Michael said, putting to hand on Maria's shoulders.

"No one! I haven't told anyone!" Maria said.

Max grabbed Michael's arm, "I know she's telling the truth, Michael."

Michael sighed, "Go ahead and answer the phone while we get packed up. We'll leave in fifteen minutes."

Maria nodded and left to the front desk.

Maria's mind went into overload as to who knew she was there and why they were calling.

The clerk had the phone laying down off of its base, waiting for Maria.

Maria picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Maria? Thank God! Stay where you are, we'll be there shortly."

Maria recognized it was Sean.

By the time she got back upstairs, Michael had everything packed and Kyle was helping him carry the bags downstairs.

"Who was it?" He asked.

"Sean. But he's not alone, someone else is coming with him, I'm assuming it's my mom."

"Dammit! Didn't they read Liz's Journal and learn tracking us down was not an option!" Michael said, hitting the wall.

"What should we do? Leave now and go somewhere else?" Maria asked, trying to calm down Michael's temper.

Michael shook his head; "I don't know what to do. Let's decide this all together."

Maria nodded.

When they got back to the van, Maria told everyone that it was Sean who called.

"That's not good. The FBI's special force could be right behind them!" Kyle said, panicking.

"Relax, won't you? Maxwell, what should we do?" Michael asked.

Max considered all their options. They could just split but risk someone telling Sean where they went or they could stay and try to convince Sean to leave and go home. Max knew that the FBI could be following right behind them.

"We can't be risked being seen outside in the open but we need them to leave as well and not follow us. Here's what will do, Maria, you stay here and meet with them and try to get them to leave while the rest of us will park around the corner and watch. If anything feels like it shouldn't, will drive over pick you up and we'll get out of here quick, ok?"

Maria nodded and sighed. She really hated to tell her family that they should go and to never see her again, but their survival was imperative. That and she never wanted to leave Michael's side ever again. She made that choice a long time ago.

"I'll stay here with her." Liz said.

Everyone turned and looked at Liz with surprise.

"No." Max said, firmly.

"Look, it'll be better if she has someone to support her, plus it'll give me a second chance to explain to Sean and whomever is coming why we're doing what we're doing."

Max didn't like it. "…Alright, be careful."

Liz kissed Max, "Don't worry, I will."

Michael, in turn, kissed Maria, "We'll be watching, make it quick."

Maria nodded.

The four then got into the van and sped around the corner.

Liz took their spare moment to ask Maria what really was bothering her earlier.

"Maria, what was wrong at breakfast? You seemed certain that something was wrong."

Maria sighed, "When I was in the shower, I felt something vibrating in my stomach and when I looked down…my skin was moving."

Liz sat down with her on the curb, putting an arm on her friend's back and rubbed it, affectionately.

"And?" She asked.

Maria swallowed, "Then…A red, glowing, tiny handprint appeared as if something was trying to push its way out."

Liz's eyes went wide. "Have you told Michael?"

"I didn't tell him what I experienced, but I showed him my belly and nothing happened."

Liz looked away, not sure on what to say. Just then, a cab pulled up and inside was Sean and Amy DeLuca.

Maria held her breath and Liz squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Amy immediately ran out of the cab and hugged her daughter.

She then shook her, "Do you realize what kind of hell you've put me through!"

Maria didn't say anything.

Sean came out and walked up to Liz and looked around.

"Where's the rest of the gang?"

Liz sighed, "I thought you understood from what I wrote. You two really shouldn't be here."

Amy let go of her daughter and scowled at Liz, "I don't care what Max and Michael made you believe, Liz Parker, but you two are coming with us and are going home, right now!"

Maria pulled her hand away from her mother's grip.

"Maria!" Amy said in surprise.

"Mom," Maria said, with her eyes closed and her voice calm, "Liz is right. You really shouldn't be here. You two coming brings a lot of attention to a lot of bad people who we're running from."

Amy threw her hands up in the air, "Ok, so I'm horrible to worry about my daughter? Is that it? Everyone knows something is wrong with the FBI and Airforce tearing our places apart and asking weird questions. We know you all are in some sort of trouble! We're not dumb!"

Maria, again, took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry we weren't able to give you answers, but Liz did."

Sean rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure, _aliens._ Liz having "powers". You seriously don't believe this do you?" He asked Liz.

Liz sighed. She then lifted up her hand, which illuminated with green electrical currents, crawling all over her palm.

"Both Amy and Sean took a step back.

"Satisfied? Everything I wrote was true. Now, we need the both of you to go back to Roswell, and not try to contact us. We'll contact you when we're certain it's safe to come back."

Maria took hold of her mother's hand; Amy was still staring at Liz in bewilderment.

"Mom, you've got to trust us, believe me, everything's going to be…"

Maria stopped short as she felt her stomach pulsating again.

"Maria?" Amy asked, seeing her daughter lifting up her shirt and seeing her stomach ripple.

Both Liz and Sean starred in both terror and interest as Maria's stomach continued to ripple.

Then, just as before a glowing, tiny, red handprint appeared, but this time it was followed by a second.

Maria's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she fainted.

"Maria!" Yelled Amy, Liz, and Sean in unison.

"Maxwell, go!" Shouted Michael just as Maria toppled over to the ground.

Max floored the van and came peeling around the corner and stopped about three feet away from the others.

Michael, Kyle and Isabel came out of the sliding door. Michael quickly took hold of Maria.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Michael, something's wrong with Maria." Liz said.

Both Amy and Sean looked narrowingly at Michael.

"Get away from my daughter!" Amy shouted.

Sean made a move to push Michael away, only to have Kyle put a hand on his chest and pushing him away.

Michael sighed, "Mrs. DeLuca, I'm sorry but I don't have the time to argue with you now. Not while Maria's like this."

Maria's eyes flickered and she muttered, "Michael…we…a boy…and a…girl."

Michael shook her, "Maria! Maria, wake up, please."

All of a sudden, Liz's premonition flashed and she visualized a car parked several rows behind them, with its occupants looking at them with interest. The two were an elderly couple, but then revealed themselves to be Rath and Lonnie.

"Max! We need to go, now! We've been discovered!" Liz shouted.

Michael, immediately, picked up Maria and took her to the van followed by the others.

Amy and Sean stood there, dumbfounded by what they had experienced.

Amy was trying to come to grips by what she saw from Liz and then from her daughter.

Sean grabbed his aunt and headed back to the cab and told the driver to follow them.

It wasn't until they were back on the highway that Maria had finally awoken, again.

"What happened? Where's Mom and Sean?" She asked wildly.

Liz put a hand on her friend's hand, "Hey, everything's okay."

Maria soon realized she was back in the van.

"Where are we?"

"We're getting the hell out of here, is what we're doing." Kyle said, who was behind the wheel.

"Liz, what did you see, when you had your "flash"?" Asked Isabel.

Liz sighed, "Rath and Lonnie. They were in the parking lot disguised as an old couple."

Everyone went silent. It was broken when Kyle said out loud, "Damn! We're out of gas!"

Kyle then took the off ramp and drove slowly to a Wal-Mart and stopped in front of the Mira Star gas station in front of the store.

Michael helped Maria off the seat and had her sitting up right, "Are you alright?"

Maria put a hand to her forehead, "I need something to drink."

Isabel looked around; "We're out of Snapple and water."

Max sighed, "Let's go inside get some drinks and get out of here. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

* * *

Rath and Lonnie watched as Max, Liz, Isabel, and Michael went inside the Wal-Mart Super Center.

"Well, shall we do this?" Rath asked.

Lonnie nodded.

A banging could be heard from their trunk.

Rath got out from the car and went around and slammed his fist on the top of it.

"Quiet!" He yelled.

The banging ceased.

"C'mon, we need to get Max and get out." Lonnie said.

Rath nodded and the two then proceeded on in.

The banging returned from the trunk of their car and then a bright light came sending the hood of the trunk to come flying off.

Inside, gagged and bounded, a familiar figure tried desperately to break her bonds by rubbing them on the rim of the opened trunk, thinking wildly.

"_Need…to…save…Max!"_

Walking inside, Rath waved his hand at a Wal-Mart smiley face logo making the logo, go from a happy look to a more vulgar expression. It's hand in front of its face, the fingers spread to a "v" shape and the face's tongue extended between them. Rath then proceeded to another logo, all the while smirking. 

Lonnie was looking in all directions for any sign of the four that went in.

"Let's split up." She said to Rath.

Rath nodded and went to the grocery part while she went through the clothing isle.

Rath whistled as he sent things from the shelves go falling to the ground, he then ripped open a bag of chips and stuffed his face with several and then threw the bag to the floor. He then turned around a corner to be met face-to-face with Michael.

* * *

Lonnie having given up on her portion of the search walked back to the grocery isle to see Max and Liz heading to the check out line.

Grinning, Lonnie held up her hand and had a grocery cart go at full speed and ram into Liz, pushing her out of the way.

Max turned around and held out his hand.

Lonnie sent another Cart, which hit Max's side sending him to the floor.

Everyone in the line scattered in panic.

Lonnie walked up to Max and put out her hand against his head.

"You're coming with us." She said.

Max could feel dizziness come to him as he felt his head being sent into blackness.

But it soon stopped as Lonnie was sent flying off several feet away.

Max, shaking the feeling away, looked up ahead and saw a girl with short bubble gum-colored hair, with multiple face piercings, with her hand extended in front of her.

Ava.

"Max! Run!" She yelled.

* * *

Michael put out his hand and sent Rath to the floor and then across to the dairy case, smashing the case 

Rath grinned and slammed his fist against the floor.

"Now, THAT'S what I'm talking about!" He then put up his own hand and had Michael fall to the floor.

As he was walking back up to where Michael was, Rath suddenly found himself off his feet again and flying towards the double doors to the loading area of the store.

Isabel immerged and helped Michael up.

"We need to get going!" She said and had Michael lean on her as they staggered back to the entrance.

Lonnie didn't stay down for long as she quickly brushed away the blood that formed at the corner of her mouth and lifted herself up.

* * *

"You little bitch." She said and then sent another attack at Ava.

Ava tried her best to avoid it but it managed to hit her leg, breaking it in the process.

Lonnie strode up to Max, "Where were we?"

Lonnie felt a blow to her stomach and looked up to see Liz with her palm out and green currents flowing.

Before Lonnie could do anything, Liz had her sailing down and to the back of the store.

She then helped up Max who pointed to Ava; "We need to get her out of here."

Kyle had the van full, again, and parked out in front of the store, just to see Max and Liz helping a woman who looked like a goth version of Tess.

Max opened the door and helped her in, Maria sat back as Max helped her to the next seat.

"Ava? What are you doing here?" Maria asked.

Just then, Isabel and Michael came out and soon everyone was in.

"Lets get the hell out of here!" Michael instructed Kyle.

Kyle nodded and they pulled out of the store's parking lot and pack on the connector to the highway.

Everyone had their questions for everyone that seemed unanswered, but the main concern was to get as far away as they could.

Three hours passed as they headed back south and stopped at a rest stop, several miles away from Boise, to rest.

Max healed those who had been injured in the scuffle and then everyone went came out of the van.

Everyone's attention seemed to be on Ava.

"What happened? The last time we saw you, you were heading off to new and better places." Said Liz.

Ava smiled, "Rath and Lonnie caught up with me. I tried to resist them but they got the better of me and had me stored away in their trunk."

"What do they want now?" Asked Isabel.

Ava sighed, "Lonnie made a deal with Nicholas. She wants nothing more than to return to Antar and Khivar. To do that, she's been instructed to deliver Max to Nicholas so he can be killed."

While everyone groaned as they remembered the pint-sized terror, Kyle couldn't help but to stare at Ava, who looked so much like Tess.

He diverted his gaze when Ava soon met his look.

Michael turned his attention to Maria.

"Maria, I never got a chance, but, what happened back with your mom and Sean?"

Maria looked at her stomach, again. Nothing was happening at the moment, but she lifted her shirt up and pointed at the area.

"Michael…when I was in the shower, earlier, I felt these weird sensations coming from here. Then…" She found herself unable to finish.

Liz helped her, "When I was with her, these two red, glowing, tiny, handprints came pushing out of her stomach."

Everyone fell dead silent.

Max closed his eyes, remembering all too well when Tess was pregnant with Zan. How he was able to get in touch with his son by applying his hand against one of those similar handprints.

"You're pregnant." Max said out loud.

Everyone looked at him and then back to Maria.

Michael took a step back and then found himself walking away.

"Michael?" Maria called out in a whisper.

While Liz, Isabel, and Ava both hugged Maria; Max and Kyle went after Michael.

"Michael, wait!" Max shouted.

Michael spun around, "Why! Why now!"

Kyle laughed, "Wow, and here I thought condoms were the safest thing for you guys."

Michael pointed a finger at him, "Don't!"

Max put two hands on Michael's shoulders, "Michael, you need to calm down, this isn't the end of things."

Michael put two hands to his face and rubbed furiously, and shouted, "Awww!"

Meanwhile, back at the van, Maria sat down on the curb as Isabel grazed the skin of Maria's belly with her fingers.

"Does it hurt when they reach out?" She asked.

Maria shook her head, "Nah, it just feels weird."

Liz smiled as she rubbed Maria's shoulders; "Things are going to be okay."

Maria sighed, "Are they? You saw how Michael reacted."

Isabel looked out, seeing Michael sitting down on the ground and Max and Kyle sitting next to him.

"We'll all talk to him, don't worry."

Ava smiled, "I'm guessing this isn't the first time something like this has happened, has it?"

Liz shook her head, "No it hasn't. Tess, your dupe, was the first when she had Max's son."

Ava's eyes went wide, "Really? Wow. What happened with that?"

Isabel sighed, "That's a long story we'll have to tell you on the road."

Soon, the three guys returned.

"Let's get going." Max said and everyone minus Michael and Maria got back into the van.

They stood there looking at eachother, Maria wanting something to be said, anything.

Michael hugged her and kissed her on top of her head.

"Lets go." He said.

Three hours passed as they headed back southeast, the stars having already come out even with the sun setting.

Michael starred out the window, not sure of what to make of the events that had folded out for them.

So much has happened, and yet, he's found himself questioning his own future rather than that of the entire group. Him and Maria were going to be parents. Parents…

Having grown up with nothing but abuse and violence, Michael was questioning if it was right for him to be a father at all?

Max had always been the sensible one, he seemed more right to be a father than Michael, at least in Michel's eyes. Yet, Max gave away his child fearing for its safety.

He looked at Maria, sleeping with her head resting against a bag.

Michael smiled. He knew she would be the perfect mother, with all her quirkiness, there was no doubt about that. But what about him?

Maria's belly was glowing red and Michael, startled, found himself staring.

Maria wasn't disturbed from her sleep.

Michael then carefully lifted up her shirt and found two tiny, red, glowing, hands pushing out a little ways.

Swallowing, Michael carefully laid his hand against Maria's stomach and found himself making contact.

A barrage of images flooded his mind, those of two unborn fetuses squirming inside Maria.

Emotions came from them. Those of love, love for Maria…and Michael.

_**To be continued…**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N:** Thanks to all who've reviewed and to those who have yet to review. Comments are what help me going guys, keep'em coming!

_**Q-n-P**_


	3. Struggles

At first, no one had spoken since they left the rest stop, as the continued to drive south and then east which took them into the mountain regions of Idaho.

Everyone was asleep, with the exception of Ava who had volunteered to drive, to give Kyle a chance for some much-needed sleep.

Ava found it fascinating that she was with these people again.

She found it even more fascinating learning of what had transpired during the course of her absence. Learning, not only that her twin had given birth the child of Zan's twin Max, but also that another alien of the group and a human were to be giving birth to that of twins. It was a lot to learn.

One thing she found unsettling to learn was that her twin was a murderer.

Ava could never imagine of herself being capable of doing such horrendous things that her identical other had done.

She sighed, looking at the members of the group in her rearview mirror, as she drove. Wondering to herself where her and her new "family" would be going down the line.

**Chapter Three: Struggles  
**

Sean and Amy DeLuca were sitting at a gas station outside of Boise.

Amy was slowly drinking her coffee, trying to digest the caffinated liquid and try to understand all that had been happening since they had arrived in Idaho.

Maria was determined to leave her life behind in Roswell and go running off with her friends, escaping some sort of invisible enemy. Amy wasn't sure how to handle that. She appreciated how her daughter was able to be so independent, having been raised by a single parent, but to be with the kind of friends she's made since her sophomore year in High School, disturbed Amy.

Yesterday, witnessing to the weirdness of the sort of happenings that was going on, what with Liz Parker having electricity jumping from her hands to Maria, having something crawling around in her body. The both of them and their friends drive out in a frenzy; Amy found the whole experience troubling.

Sean had remained quiet until they had lost them on the Highway. He soon spoke up saying how, they needed to get a real answer out of all of them, that he wouldn't rest until he was certain that, not only was Maria safe in the company that she kept, but that they could trust them to be by themselves.

Sean was speaking with an attendant was confirmed that he saw the lot of them stopping off at a nearby rest stop as of yesterday, and were heading south.

Amy took out her cell phone and decided she needed to call someone. Someone she desperately needed to talk to.

The phone rang several times before it was answered.

"Valenti."

Amy sighed, "Jim. It's Amy."

"Amy? Are you all right? Everyone has been going crazy worrying about you."

Amy smiled, "I'm fine. Sean and I are fine."

Just then, a car pulled up beside the road and two men in suits came and hoisted Amy off of the bench.

"What are you doing! Let go of me!" She shouted as the men took her away and into her car. Her cell phone fell to the ground, with Jim Valenti shouting.

Sean himself was soon picked up as well.

Jim Valenti turned off his phone, cursing. He knew deep in his heart that he should have paid more attention to what she was doing to prevent this sort of thing from happening.

Sitting inside the Crashdown Café, at his usual spot, Jim placed a hand against his face, trying to think of what he should do.

His police instincts told him he should try to call the Idaho PD and file a missing persons report on Amy and a possible kidnapping. Common sense told him, however, that he shouldn't. If they were to question why she was in Idaho it would bring up the kids, and that wasn't an option.

Jeff Parker, discussing a new meal with his new cook, noticed Jim's agitation, and decided to see what was up.

"What's wrong, Jim?" He asked.

Jim looked around to make sure they were out of ear shot, then leaned in.

"Amy's been nabbed by someone."

Jeff's eyes went wide. "What?"

He then ushered Jim into the back of the restaurant, to where they'd have more discreetness.

"What the hell happened?"

Jim sighed, "I'm guessing she and Sean went to Idaho to find the kids. Only someone followed her and grabbed her."

Jeff held a hand to his mouth as he thought. "What do you plan to do?"

Jim sighed, "Well, I can't call the authorities over there. It'll only draw attention to the kids, which they don't need. The only thing I can figure is maybe going over there myself and see if I can't track her down."

Jeff paced back and forth, "I'll go with you."

Jim looked at Jeff with surprise, "Excuse me?"

"Look Jim, I care about Amy as much as you do, and if she's in danger I want to make sure Maria has her mother to come home to."

Jim rubbed the back of his neck, "But Jeff, what about this place?"

Jeff smiled, "Nancy can hold this place together while I'm gone. Besides, she won't mind if I tell her I'm going to find out where the kids are."

Jim didn't like it. But, to refuse help wasn't something he liked in times like this.

"Alright, but we need to be discreet."

Jeff nodded, "Agreed. Where should we start?"

"I'm not sure. I think I know somebody, who has the resources to help us, so I think we should go see him first."

* * *

As Ava came to a complete stop in front of a four-way stop that had a blinking red light hanging from a suspending wire, the people in the van woke up. 

"Good afternoon." She said cheerfully.

A couple of them groaned the same in reply.

"Where are we?" asked Max.

"Well, were about ten miles from a place called Sun Valley." Ava replied.

Michael was the next to awaken, Maria's still sleeping form, nestled right next to him.

Michael decided it best not to wake her as he slowly, and carefully, moved his body away and put, in its place, a bag full of clothes.

Max, Michael, Kyle, Isabel, and Liz watched out the window as they passed. Through the town of Bellevue and then into the town of Hailey.

At the request of the group, Ava pulled over in front of a diner called Shorty's.

It was here that Michael decided to awaken Maria.

Maria rubbed her eyes as she looked out the window, "Where are we?"

"Hailey. C'mon, we're getting breakfast." Liz said as she helped her up and out of the van.

Going inside, the group were surprised by the look and feel of the diner which had a fifties theme. There were even small, little, jukeboxes in each booth.

After being seated, the group took their menus and got down to ordering.

Much to the disappointment of the four aliens, there wasn't any tobasco sauce available.

Maria looked to Michael, thinking to herself how he was after learning the fact that he was going to be a father. There was no doubt in her mind that he'd make a great one, but she had her worries all the same.

Michael seemed to pick up on this, and gently squeezed her hand.

"Don't worry so much. I'm fine. This…this is going to take some time to getting used to, but…I love you. I know we'll be able to do this."

Maria smiled and kissed him and then went back to her menu.

Both Max and Isabel looked at Michael with the "are you sure?" looks.

Michael ignored them and concentrated on what he wanted to order.

Soon, after finishing their meals, Kyle went across the street and got a free map of the area.

Looking at the area, Liz made a whimper of disappointment seeing that this area was most famous for skiing and it was summer.

The group decided to proceed on into the Sun Valley area and rest up at the Sun Valley Lodge.

* * *

Agent Robert Tucker wasn't enjoying the present work he was now given. He had joined the FBI shortly after graduating college, having majored in psychology, and was recruited right after graduation. He spent three years in the Psyche department of the Bureau's J. Edgar Hoover building, training new agents how to classify particular cases up until a year ago, when a shady Assistant Director reassigned him. 

Not much information was given to him about this particular assignment, only that it was on a "need to know" basis. The person he reported to was the most unscrupulous, son of a bitch, Agent Tucker had ever met; and it seemed Robert was questioning his methods all the time.

Sitting inside a cramped warehouse, looking through an observation window, he was observing a woman who had recently been "contained" and brought to this facility to where she was to be questioned.

Sitting next to Robert, smoking heavily on a clove cigarette, was the man he loathed; his superior Agent Henry Barns.

Henry Barns was a balding man with a hair-lip scar and a thin mustache and smelled to high heaven of bourbon and some sort of cologne.

Agent Barns looked at the window with intensity and muttered cryptic things under his breath as he continued smoking his vile thing.

In the room the woman, a Miss Amy DeLuca made cries of fear and pleading.

"How long are we going to do this?" Robert asked.

Agent Barns coughed loudly as he extinguished his smoke, "As long as it takes, Tucker."

"The boy didn't give us anything credible, what makes you think she will?"

Agent Barns made the most sickening smile, showing yellow decaying teeth in the process.

"I have a good feeling about her."

Agent Tucker shuddered after hearing that.

"I'm going in." Agent Barns said.

He then proceeded into the room and removed the blindfold from Miss DeLuca's eyes.

"Good Afternoon, Miss DeLuca." Agent Barns said, playfully.

"Where am I? Where's Sean?" Amy asked, scared.

"Oh, he's fine, he'll be out in a few. Miss DeLuca, I'm Special Agent Barns of the FBI. We have reason to believe your daughter is in serious trouble."

Amy did not like this man. He reeked from about everything, and was giving her really uncomfortable looks.

Agent Barns continued, "We know you've made contact with Maria and her friends, where are they?"

Amy swallowed, she finally understood her daughter's reluctance of being led home. This was one of the men she was talking about.

"I…I don't know." She replied, weakly.

Agent Barns tisked, "Miss DeLuca, lying to the FBI is a serious offense. Punishable by severe jail time. Now, I'll ask you again. Where is your daughter and her friends?"

Amy DeLuca bit on her lip and looked hard at the man and said, "I want a lawyer."

Agent Barn's smile came again, and Amy was revolted to see the man's teeth.

"I'll see what I can do." He said. He then got up out of his chair and exited out the door and joined Agent Tucker.

"Well?" He asked.

Robert sighed, "Well, she's afraid, that's a given. She's reluctant to talk to you so, yeah, she's holding something back."

"Perfect. We'll hold her for another day or two, make sure she gets the medicated food and water. Then we'll sweat it out of her." Agent Barns then lit another cigarette and went outside.

Agent Tucker looked helplessly at the poor woman who was sobbing, thinking.

_Why did I ever decide to join this?_

* * *

Brody Davis was sitting at his desk in the bottom room of the UFO Center, eating his lunch, when a knock came at his door. 

"Don't bother me, I'm on my lunch break!" Brody called out.

The knocking continued.

"Ah, bloody hell, this better be important." Brody set down his lunch and opened the door to Jim Valenti and Jeff Parker.

"Afternoon Brody, mind if we come in?" Asked Valenti.

"Sure, sure, no problem." Brody said and moved aside as the two men came in.

After they came in, Brody shut the door and then turned to them, "What can I do for you two?"

Jim shrugged, "Well, that's the thing, it's kind of a long story. But to make it short, we need you to help us find someone."

* * *

Walking in the Sun Valley mall, looking at all the hiking clothing that was being displayed, Maria was actually enjoying herself, for a change. 

She still wasn't sure how Michael was dealing with the fact that she was pregnant, nor to the knowledge that it would be a short pregnancy, due to information given by Max that it would only take a month till she due.

It all seemed a little errie to Maria, considering that they had ran into her mother and Sean in Boise.

Was it all coincidental?

Maria wasn't sure. All she knew that she was pregnant and that this journey had gotten more complicated for it and other reasons.

She sighed as she looked at her reflection in a window, she turned her body to the side and imagined seeing her body's future growth as it were to look as a nine month-er.

Maria was going to be a mother. That was a good thing, right?

Standing over near the doorway to the deli, Isabel watched Maria looking at herself in the mirror.

Max, who was busy munching on his sandwich, looked up at his sister as he took a big gulp.

"What is it?" He asked.

Isabel sighed, "Look at her. Maria came into this whole journey being the only one of us with no received powers or alien heritage, and now she is the second to have been impregnated by an alien. I'm not sure whether to feel happy for her or feel sorry."

Max nodded, he knew it wasn't an easy problem. It was entirely questionable.

"How does she feel?" He asked Isabel.

Isabel shrugged, "She doesn't really say. I can tell that she's a little scared and at the same time happy that something has brought her and Michael closer to eachother, but she's still a mystery as to what she's really feeling."

"Should we talk to her?" Asked Max.

Isabel was surprised seeing Max for advice on something other than himself or Liz.

"No," Isabel answered, "Let's wait for her to talk to us. It only seems right."

Max nodded and proceeded to finish his meal.

Inside the Deli, Ava was putting on sunglasses and modeling them for Kyle.

"How about this?" She asked.

Kyle smiled, "Do you really want me to answer to that?"

"Fine." She said. She then put on another pair, "What about these?"

Kyle mused on how much Ava reminded him of Tess before she gotten evil and ruined the lives of the group. Ava was such an opposite of Tess. Full of energy and spirit.

"Not bad." He answered.

Satisfied, Ava took the glasses and asked the girl behind the counter for a bottle of Smirnoff. When they asked for her ID, Ava took her's out and thumbed over it changing the date of birth.

After purchasing her glasses, booze, and a load of gum, both she and Kyle walked out.

"I thought you aliens couldn't hold your liquor? Is it safe to get an entire bottle?" Kyle asked, remembering how much fun and dangerous it was to get Max drunk, even though it only took a thimble of booze to do it.

Ava looked over her shoulder at him and smiled, "I don't know about the others, but I can have a lot."

Kyle found his heart beating fast, with that look she gave him.

They joined up with Max, Isabel, and Maria.

"What's with the vodka?" Asked Isabel, her eyes wide seeing Ava having gotten such a big bottle.

"I'm a big girl. Big girl's like to have big drinks."

"I see nothing wrong with it." Said Kyle, smiling at Ava.

"Well, keep it away from Michael and I, we're light weights." Max said.

"I hate the taste, so none for me, either." Isabel said.

Ava turned to Kyle, "Well, looks like it's just you and me."

Again, Kyle found his heart racing from her grin and eyes.

On the other side of the building by a large pond filled with swans and ducks, Michael and Liz sat by the bank, while Liz fed pieces of stale bread to the fowls.

Michael was marveling at the birds, having never seen these birds up close other than in books and on TV.

"Here you go." Liz said, and laughed as she pulled her hand back as the swan snatched the large piece of bread and tilted its head back to swallow it.

"Liz, I need to ask you something." Michael said.

Liz looked to him, "What's on your mind?"

Michael tossed a piece of bread out and mused at it when a group of ducks started fighting with eachother over the piece.

"When Zan had come back to Max, how were you on the fact you two were possibly going to be raising him together?"

Liz thought long and hard, it felt as if it happened to her years ago, but it was only a few months.

"I loved Max, I knew it would be difficult, but I was willing to do it, regardless. Zan was such a cute baby." She smirked.

"C'mon be serious." Michael sighed.

"I'm sure you were cute as a baby too." Liz said grinning.

"Liz…"

Liz slugged him on the shoulder, "You need to laugh more often, Michael. You're way too serious. To answer your question, like I said, I felt like I could do it as long as Max and I would be doing it together."

Michael looked to the pond, his mind going in every direction.

Liz smiled and patted his hand, "Listen, Michael. I know you're worried about how all of this will turn out. You shouldn't. Worrying about it will only make it worse for you when it actually starts. I know you'll be good at it, by how you support and care for all of us."

Michael smiled, "Thank you."

Liz smiled, "No problem."

The others soon joined them and Maria came and sat down next to Michael, she too looking in fascination at the swans.

"They're so beautiful." She said.

Michael kissed her cheek.

Maria smiled and then she gave Michael a push, sending him somersaulting into the pond.

The birds scattered to the other side of the bank.

Everyone in the group laughed out loud.

Michael stood up and shook his hair and looked venomously at Maria.

Maria held a hand to her mouth, holding back her laughter.

Michael then grinned. He then reached over and brought her in with him.

Both soaking wet, Maria splashed water at Michael as he laughed.

Their fun was disrupted when a security guard came and told them to get out.

* * *

Agent Tucker looked at his watch. Agent Barns was late from his usual time slot. 

Walking back inside the warehouse, he used his key and got into the unit and watched as Amy stirred in her sleep.

Agent Tucker shook his head.

_This is sick._ He thought to himself. However, there was no way out for him, nor Amy DeLuca.

This was a dead end for both of them. The Special Unit, a roach motel, a place where no one could reach it and no one can get out of it.

Agent Tucker heard about the other unit where Sean DeLuca was being starved and dehydrated, part of Agent Barns' orders. What a bastard.

Agent Tucker never been submitted to torture, but to him this had to be it. To be helpless and watch others suffer, all in the name of the U.S. Government's shady operations.

Agent Tucker thought about his ex-wife Helen and their daughter April, he wondered what they would think of him if they ever learned of what he _**really**_ did for a living.

He had no choice though. This assignment had specific instruction and the consequences of desertion were dire.

Looking at Amy DeLuca, though, Agent Tucker thought long and hard if he was really that spineless not to do anything.

_Screw them._ He thought. Robert then went over, unlocked the door and came inside as Amy woke up, startled, and sat back watching Agent Tucker with caution.

"_**Listen."**_ He whispered, "_**I'm going to try and find a way to get you and your nephew out of this, but I'll need you to play along with my partner for the time being, understood?"**_

Amy wasn't entirely sure if this was a ploy to gain her trust in order for her to divulge information regarding her daughter and her friends.

"How can I trust you?" She asked.

"_**That's up to you."**_ He whispered again.

* * *

Brody Davis never imagined being asked to do what Deputy Valenti and Jeff Parker were asking of him. Asking him to hack inside to the FBI's database and finding information liked to a local woman in town. He was all for helping them, after all, Amy's Alien wrestling brought in so many people here during the festival, that it seemed the right thing to do. 

With luck, that had an image of her found, that and one of Sean's, as well.

"Does it say where they're at?" Asked Jeff.

"Hold on." Muttered Brody as he typed in another set of codes and they soon found a feed into a surveillance camera, which showed Sean being chained to a wall, his shirt was off and multiple bruises were visible on his body and face.

"Oh, my God! Sean…" Jeff let out, holding a hand to his face.

Valenti knew what they were doing was incredibly illegal, but knowing Brody's software, it would take the Bureau at least a couple of days to untangle it to locate the source of the hack.

Jim looked at the bottom corner of the screen, which had some lettering.

"Can you zoom in right there?" He asked Brody.

Brody nodded and pulled up the image to a larger one.

Squinting, Jim could barely make out what it was.

"Great…Great…Great Pines…Storage. Great Pines Storage. Must be a Warehouse."

Jeff called up on his cell phone for an address.

Brody looked at the two, "Why on Earth are they keeping Amy and her nephew? Does this have to do with Max and the others leaving?"

Brody was one of the major ones to have been questioned and ransacked by the FBI, considering he used to employ Max.

Jim decided to be honest with Brody.

"Yes it does. Unfortunately, Amy doesn't know anything, nor does Sean."

Brody nodded, "Well fine then, when shall we go?"

Both Jim and Jeff looked at Brody with surprise.

"Uh, Brody, we actually had in mind it would be just the two of us."

Brody smiled as he got up and got his jacket, "Well, now it's three. I need to get Amy back as much as you do, besides, maybe we'll find Max and the others by going on this little adventure. I have a lot of questions for him."

Jim and Jeff looked at eachother. Jeff merely shrugged and gave the "Why not?" look.

Jim sighed, he really didn't want to get a lot of people involved.

"Alright you can come. When will you be ready?" Jim asked.

"As soon as I find someone who can look after Sydney while I'm gone."

Jeff smiled, "Ask the Evans', I'm sure they'd be more than happy to look after her."

Brody nodded, "So, where are we going?"

"Mountain Home, Idaho." Said Jeff.

* * *

A small figure looks down at the base of Bald Mountain in Ketchum, Idaho. 

He's waiting for two dopes who've yet to return. Upon hearing the whirring of the ski lift, he sighs out of relief and waits for them to reach him.

Looking like a kid of thirteen or fourteen, this boy is much, much, older. He hates the appearance he was given, a lot of dolts don't listen to him because of this look. In reality, he's a over a hundred years old, and back where he's from he commanded respect. That and he had more reliable people.

Rath and Lonnie got off of the chair lift and approached the boy looking over into the field.

"Man I hate this stinkin' mountain, it's too windy." Said Rath.

"You failed, didn't you?" said the boy.

Lonnie and Rath looked at eachother, wondering which one of them gave it away.

"They're here, in the valley. Not too far away." He said.

Lonnie sighed, "So, what? Do you want us to track'em down?"

The boy shook his head, "Nope. I'll deal with them this time."

Rath threw his hands up, "What'eva!" He then walked back to the chair lift and got on the next one and rode it back down.

Lonnie stayed up top.

"Remember our deal, Nicholas. When Max dies, I get a free ticket back to Antar."

Nicholas turned to her and smiled, "I always keep my promises, Vilandra. Don't worry, you'll get what's coming to you."

Lonnie looked at him, not sure if there was any sincerity to that, but she decided just to go along, for right now. She then headed back down on another chair as Nicholas turned back to where he was standing.

_Those idiots will get what they want. In the next life, maybe._

The cool mountain air hitting his face made Nicholas smile.

_It's so good to be in a place that keeps this husk contained._

His view went out in front of him to hundreds of husks in their tanks filing down top base of the mountain.

_Not to mention, these._

_**To be continued… **_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N:** From what I understand, from what I watched, at the tail end of season two, Max was able not only to determine what the gender was of his unborn child, but to also to feel what it felt, emotion-wise.

**A/N II:** Keep the comments rolling!

_**Q-n-P**_


	4. The New Harvest

**Chapter Four: The New Harvest**

Sitting together in their spacious bed, Michael and Maria ordered in a video game and were battling eachother in Madden 02'.

Michael had chosen his favorite team, the Ravens, while to his horror, Maria had chosen the Dallas Cowboys.

"The least you could do is choose a decent team." He said.

Maria smirked, "I'm doing fine so far, I'm kicking your butt."

Michael bit his lip, looking at the score, which was at forty-two to twenty-seven.

Meanwhile, down in the lobby, Max and Liz were walking down the long hallway taking in looks at the photographs of all the Celebes that had been in the Sun Valley Lodge.

"Look, max, there's Estelle Warren!" Liz said pointing.

Max had no idea who the woman was, but liked seeing how Liz was enjoying herself.

Isabel was over at the spa getting a full body massage from a Latino boy, which had her feeling a little depressed. She was missing Jesse, a lot.

Ava and Kyle were walking down to the ice skating rink, when Ava, suddenly, pulled Kyle aside and pushed him against the wall.

Kyle's, imagination went into overdrive as he was thinking this was one of his dreams about to come true.

Ava, however, had fear on her face as she peered around the corner and then turned to look at Kyle again.

"They're here!" She whispered.

"Who?" Kyle asked.

Kyle turned his head and from the corner of his eye, looked out and saw Rath and Lonnie torturing some poor ice skaters by making them fall repeatedly.

* * *

Agent Barns tossed his finished cigarette away as he went into the unit holding Sean DeLuca.

Agents' Fowley and Vernon were watching over him and Agent Barns made a nod to them as an indication that he wanted them out of there.

As soon as they left, Agent Barns walked inside the room and he lifted up Sean's head.

"Ready to talk, Sean?"

Sean's right eye was swollen shut the other had trouble focusing on Agent Barns, but his hearing was as good as ever and he managed to summon up a bit of saliva and he spit directly into Agent Bans' face.

"Go…to hell." Sean said, weakly.

Agent Barns grinned as he wiped his face, he then went to a table next to Sean and took a container of salt and poured a handful into his hand. He then slapped it hard against an open wound on Sean's left side.

Sean yelled out in pain.

"Where's your cousin? Where's her friends?" Barns asked.

Sean's good eye watered up out of pain and he passed out.

Agent Barns smiled as he let the boy's head drop down.

He decided to go and check up on the DeLuca woman, hopefully she'd be responding to the medicated food she was given and be able to give the location to where the aliens were.

Walking over to the other unit, he found Agent Tucker with a wound on his forehead, unconscience, and the door to the unit wide open.

Ignoring his fellow Agent, agent Barns drew out his gun and walked in cautiously into the unit.

Just as he expected, the video feed to the room within was cut and the door to Amy DeLuca's was wide open and vacant.

Cursing loudly, Agent Barns stormed out and called the others Agents, as he made his way back to the other unit containing Sean DeLuca.

Amy DeLuca fired her gun on the lock to Sean's room and entered, she froze upon seeing the condition her nephew was in.

"Sean!" She fired the gun again at the handcuffs sending his weakened body to the floor.

"Aunt…Aunt Amy?" He wheezed.

She stroked his hair as she tried to hold up his body and support his weight on her shoulder. She soon had the both of them on the floor as Agent Barns entered the unit.

"Dammit!" he yelled. He then held his gun poised out in front of him and made his way into Sean's room.

Amy held her gun pointing in the direction of the doorway. If the sadistic, son of a bitch, so much as laid eyes on them, she was going to make sure they were going to get out of here without him hurting them ever again.

She watched as Barns' gun came through the doorway followed by his hand and then his arm.

_This is it, Amy. It's either him or you and Sean._

She held the gun out and aimed it where Barns' head would appear. If her estranged husband, Fernando, taught her anything, it was how to aim a gun.

Just as his head came into view and his eyes met hers, Agent Barn's let out a grunt and he fell to the floor.

Agent Tucker appeared behind him and dived to the floor as Amy took her shot.

"What are you doing!" He yelled.

Amy blushed, "Sorry."

Agent Tucker picked himself back up and helped Sean off of the ground.

"I told you to wait for me."

Amy scowled at him, "That bastard would have killed Sean if I hadn't gotten over here."

Sean muttered something.

"What is it, Sean?" Amy asked.

"Stop…fighting…Let's get out of here."

Upon arrival to Mountain Home, Brody, Jim, and Jeff found out, to their grief, that the warehouse was located on an Airforce Base.

This was one of those times where Jim wished the kids were around, they always seemed to be able to sneak into places like these.

As far as humans go, Brody proposed that he'd make up some fake-ID's for them.

Jim was going to set up a plan when he looked into his side-view mirror and saw three figures going through a fence and come out to the road, Jim recognized one of them being Amy.

Jim turned the car around and drove up to them, he then pulled out his gun and pointed it at the man.

"Amy! Get Sean and get in!" He shouted.

Amy held up a hand, "Jim! Don't shoot! He helped us out of there!"

Jim put his gun down, "Alright, all of you, get in here!"

Everyone squeezed into the cramped suv and Jim drove like a bat out of hell just as sirens started sounding from the Base.

* * *

Ava and Kyle got back together with the group, all of whom were eating inside the Gretchen's restaurant in the Lobby.

"We need to get out of here, now!" Kyle stated.

No sooner said, did Michael, Max, and Isabel get up and out of their seats.

"What's wrong?" Asked Maria.

"Rath and Lonnie are here." Said Ava.

Michael had just about enough of those two.

"Where are they?" He asked.

Isabel put a hand on Michael's arm, "Michael, no!"

"We should finish this now, so they stop bothering us." Michael said, taking his arm back.

"Yes, lets."

The group looked to the entrance and saw Rath standing there with his hand extended out.

Max was thrown to back, hitting his back against the wall.

All the patrons of the restaurant either hit the floor or ran for safety.

Michael, Isabel, Ava, and Liz held out their hands and sent Rath flying all the way down the hallway in the back.

Wasting no time, Liz and Kyle went and picked up Max and the group quickly exited the Lodge.

It was only when they got outside did something dawns on them.

"Crap! The stupid Bellman has the key to the van!" Ava shouted.

"I'll go get it, you guys go!" Kyle shouted, everyone left, with only Ava staying behind to help him out.

Kyle went to the side door he saw the Bellman go into and found it locked.

Kyle kicked at it, yet it wouldn't open.

"Here, let me help." Ava said, she then put her hand on the door and when she moved it abruptly behind her so did the door as it came off it's hinges.

Kyle moved in quickly and snatched their keys and then him and Ava moved out only to be met by Rath and Lonnie.

Rath nodded to Lonnie, "Go after them, I'll take care of these two."

Lonnie nodded and headed out, while Rath held up his palm and directed it straight at Kyle.

As soon as everyone had reached the van, Michael looked out behind them.

"Damn! Where are they?"

Isabel pointed to an object coming their direction, "Look out!"

All scattered, when a golf cart came flying out and hit the front end of the van.

Maria found herself on the ground and she tried to get up only to be thrown against the van and to have her throat squeezed by Lonnie.

Michael raised his hand and sent her knocked down, to the ground.

"Stay there." Michael told Maria, as he moved up to Lonnie who was desperately trying to get back on her feet.

Soon, Max, Isabel, and Liz arrived and joined Michael as they hoisted Lonnie in the air and had her fall down and into the shallow pond in front of the Lodge.

Michael then went back to Maria.

"Are you alright?" He asked, helping her up.

Maria nodded and rubbed her throat.

Max started going in the direction of the Lodge, "I'm going to see what's keeping Kyle and Ava, you all remain here till I get back."

Ava managed to attack Rath before he could harm Kyle, sending Rath to the ground.

Rath pointed his hand directly at Ava, his hit caused her to keel over and then fall over.

"Ava!" Kyle shouted as he ran to her. Ava was coughing up blood.

Kyle too found himself knocked to the ground and Rath picked himself back up and strode right over to the two of them. He put his foot down hard on Kyle's chest.

"Humans. What are you good for? I can't seem to understand why these guys are so dependent on you homosapiens." Rath then turned his attention to Ava. "You can be quite the pain in the ass, girl. I'm going to correct that, now." He then put his hand on Ava's head.

Kyle growled in fury and his eyes turned black and pupil-less. Kyle, then, grabbed Rath's leg.

"What the hell?" Rath called out.

A blinding white glowing light emitted from Kyle's grasp, which caused Rath's whole body to go stiff, and then, he toppled over.

Kyle's eyes returned to normal and he shoved off Rath's body just as Max was coming up from behind them.

"What was that?" Max asked as he first looked to Kyle, then to Ava, to whom he knelt down and recovered her injuries.

Ava sat up and looked at Rath, whose expression was a picture of horror.

"Kyle, what did you do?" She asked.

Kyle found himself shuddering, "I…I'm not sure."

Max went over to Rath's form and placed two fingers to Rath's neck.

"You just knocked him out, he's not dead."

Kyle exhaled a deep breath and quietly thanked Buddha for giving him a power that did not kill.

Kyle helped Ava up and the three went back and met with the others at the van.

"Guess what? Kyle's powers have awakened." Max said.

"Great and we can hear all about them once we're on the road, let's get going." Michael ushered everyone inside the van before taking the wheel and driving them out of the Lodge's parking lot.

To their bad luck, construction was happening on the way out of Ketchum, making it hard for them to get back on the Highway.

Michael pulled off to the side and groaned.

"Now what?"

No one seemed to answer.

Just then, the sliding door opened and Maria was thrown from the vehicle and into the arms of Nicholas.

He wasn't alone, though, hundreds of people grouped around him and soon Maria, who was shouting Michael's name, melted into the crowd along with Nicholas.

"Maria!" Michael shouted. He then got out of the van and put his hand in front of him to knock anyone away from him. He stopped, though. The others joined up with him and Michael pointed at the crowd with the vacant stares. All of who had their skins peeling from their bodies.

* * *

Agent Tucker volunteered to join them on their trip back to New Mexico, much to the reluctance of Jim Valenti, who felt that, the people in the rescue mission was just getting too big.

Jim didn't wish to argue with Amy, though who insisted that Agent Tucker come with them in the first place.

Jim decided just to let things be and try to get everyone back to Roswell.

That proved difficult, however. The road to Twin Falls, where their airport was at was closed off. So was the road-heading south, only leaving one option, the eastern route, which would take them to a town, called Hailey.

Jim sighed, bitterly. He wanted to put this state behind him, but it looked as though they were going to have to spend the night here.

"How can this be?" Max said aloud. "I thought Tess destroyed all the Skins except for Nicholas?"

"I guess Khivar got him reinforcements. Doesn't matter anyways, cause I'm going through." Michael said and he walked forward.

Liz and Isabel were the ones who went next and then the rest of the gang went to catch up with Michael.

As Michael ran ahead, the Skins seemed to take notice of him and charged right at him.

Michael held up his hand and sent each one flying in a different direction. The others, behind him, made sure they weren't to be cut off from him or that they weren't going to be circled and cornered.

Blasting through his thirteenth Skin, Michael could see Nicholas up ahead at the base of he mountain, getting on what appeared to be a ski lift.

Much to Michael's increasing anger, he saw Nicholas holding a hunter's knife directly to Maria's neck.

"Come and get us." Nicholas hissed at Michael.

Michael starred daggers at him and got on the next chair that swung around. Looking behind him, he notice the rest of the group dot he same.

Michael looked up at the top and saw blue light crackling and if his instincts were wrong, this was the place where the Harvest was taking place.

* * *

Brody was confused when they had reached the town of Hailey and saw that there weren't any people around.

"Where is everybody?" He asked, noticing that all of the vehicles in the area were deserted. He then saw something very peculiar in the front window of a place called "The Barkin Basement" where a cardboard cutout of a dog had a green cylinder shaped object through one of its ears.

Jim took notice of it too and it brought back something very familiar from the past.

"What is that?" Asked Amy, noticing Jim acting all quiet once he saw it.

Jim sighed, "It's a long story, but it has to do why nobody's around here."

* * *

By the time Michael had reached the top, he saw what he had expected. In front of him were literally hundreds of chambers containing newly grown husks. A generator keeping them whole would be nearby, which Michael knew they needed to destroy.

Finding Maria was his top priority.

The rest of the gang showed up behind him.

Everyone of them looked both in awe and concern when they saw the chambers.

"It's happening again. We need to destroy these." Said Isabel.

Michael shook his head, "No, first, we need to find Maria."

Max sighed, "Why don't we split into two teams, one will go to find Maria the other will destroy these."

Michael, Isabel, and Kyle went to find Maria while Max, Liz, and Ava stayed and searched for the generator supporting these machines.

At the top of a place called "Seattle Ridge", Nicholas watched as the forms of three people came closer and closer to them.

"Why a teenage boy?"

Nicholas turned to Maria, who was strapped to a bench. "What?"

"If you're Khivar's second in command, why did he give you something so demeaning as that of a little boy?"

Nicholas sighed, "No one would have ever guessed. Even if these fools learned of the Skins, before Courtney warned them, before they came to Colorado, that I was their leader and Khivar's second. Fooled you didn't I?"

Maria looked down the hill and recognized Michael's form as one of those who were coming. She then looked to her stomach and used her hand to rub it gently. For some odd reason, she could feel a bit of fear in there. Why could she? She wasn't alien, she didn't have the power to feel emotions that others had in them. Even though she didn't quite understand this, she still whispered.

"_**Don't worry. Daddy's coming."**_

Michael came to a complete stop when he noticed Nicholas had a gun and was pointing it directly at Maria's temple.

"Don't even try to force this weapon away from me, even if you do, I'll make her brain collapse." Nicholas said, grinning.

Isabel and Kyle stood where they were, but still had the instincts to know that any open invitation to take Nicholas out and rescue Maria, they were going to take it.

"What now?" Asked Michael.

Nicholas pointed at Isabel; "I want her."

Isabel's blood froze as she realized what all of this was about.

"Khivar's till after me, huh?" She said.

Nicholas nodded. "It seems your little bravado on your honeymoon has made him even more love-crazy. You're strong in a human way, which makes you so appealing to him, something that bitch Lonnie will never understand." Nicholas cocked the hammer of the gun, "So here's the deal, you come with me back to Antar, and these two love birds get a future. Reject it and you have a funeral."

Isabel sighed, "Let her go, first."

Kyle grabbed Isabel's arm, "Isabel, no! You can't trust this kid!"

"Kid! I happen to be over a hundred years old, something you're never going to achieve I can tell." Nicholas said.

Isabel took her arm away from Kyle and then turned to Michael, "Get Maria and go, I'll be fine."

Michael nodded, "I hope so."

Nicholas waived a hand over Maria's bonds, releasing them, and motioned with the gun, "Go."

Maria slowly walked towards Michael as Isabel slowly walked towards Nicholas.

Kyle was going mad in his mind. Were they actually going to sacrifice Isabel?

As Maria got closer to Michael, she looked over to Isabel who looked at her and winked.

Maria knew she was going to do something, so she picked up her pace and ran to Michael just as both Michael and Isabel held up their hands and knocked Nicholas down to the ground.

Michael grabbed Maria's hand and the two ran with all their might.

To Kyle's surprise, Isabel wasn't retreating.

"Run!" She yelled at him. Kyle did but only got a few yards before he tripped.

Nicholas got up off the ground and shook his head, "I have to admit, Khivar's right for wanting you so badly. You've got spirit." Nicholas then raised his hand and sent Isabel high into the air, he then threw her down to the ground where her head made contact with a large rock coming from the surface. Sending her into unconscienceness.

Kyle managed to get back up and was about to continue his pursuit of Michael and Maria when he noticed, behind him, Isabel lying on the ground and Nicholas walking towards her.

* * *

Jim didn't know who was having a harder time believing what he had just said, Amy or Jeff. What surprised him was how Brody and Agent Tucker seemed to accept it.

"So, how do we get rid of it and get these poor people back into town?" Asked Agent Tucker.

Jim thought, "Well, if I remember what the kids told me from what happened the last time, We need to over load it and it will short circuit it causing the town to reappear again."

As Jim, Brody, and Agent Tucker wen to get the jumper cables from the rental, Amy and Jeff sat back and watched.

"Can you believe this is one of the things our children have been involved with?" Jeff asked Amy.

Amy shook her head, "No. It's even harder to believe what's going on with them now." She sighed, "Why our kids, Jeff? Of all the people Max, Isabel, and Michael had to get involved with their problems, why our kids?"

Jeff shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe, because, there's something we don't know about. Besides that, we have really good girls, Amy. I'm sure they're making the right decisions."

Thinking back to the experience in front of the hotel, Amy wasn't so sure. Being tortured by the FBI and now discovering this little device had caused an entire town's population to disappear, Amy wondered if their kids really knew what they have gotten themselves into.

Amy sighed; Maria was a complete mystery to her now, much more than before.

Amy had told Jeff on the way here what she had experienced in front of the hotel when she met up with Maria and Liz. Jeff was, understandably, shocked by the description, but he was even more worried about what had happened to Sean. Sean right now was sleeping in the back seat and was incredibly beaten and bruised up. Amy felt guilty to let her anxiety and fear for Maria and have this be the end result.

"Here we go!" Jim said as he connected the two cables and placed them on top of the green cylinder, which caused the shaft to explode.

* * *

"Well, time to get going." Nicholas said. He then put his hand out in the distance and a black, purplish, cloud appeared that inside a vortex followed by stars streaming backwards.

Nicholas was about to bend over to pick up Isabel, when Kyle tackled him to the ground.

Nicholas punched him across the face, which to Kyle, felt as if someone hit him with a bus.

Nicholas went back to Isabel and hoisted her into his arms. He then turned around and saw Kyle standing there.

"You just don't take a hint, do ya?" Nicholas raised up his hand only to have it grabbed by Kyle.

Kyle's eyes, again, turned entirely black and the white-hot energy burned into Nicholas' hand.

"What?" Nicholas stammered. Isabel flopped down to the ground just as Kyle used his other hand and grabbed Nicholas' shirt and threw Nicholas over and into the portal, which closed once he was inside.

The blackness clearing from his eyes, Kyle rushed over to Isabel.

"Isabel? Isabel!" He said, shaking her.

"W-What?" She groaned.

Kyle smiled and then helped her up. "C'mon, let's go join the others."

By the time they reached everyone else, to their surprise the chambers still stood. Max had given up on finding the generator, so he, Michael and Liz decided to just send large rocks hurtling at them and breaking all of them in the process. It took two hours before the last chamber was destroyed.

The group decided to stop off in Hailey to have dinner before getting back on the road, again.

Seeing an Italian restaurant called "DeVinci's", the group pulled over and parked there.

Upon getting out, Maria left the group and went running to a car several cars next to them.

The group followed and looked to see what she was looking at.

"Oh, my God." Maria said.

In the back seat of the Ford Taurus, was Sean. Sean's left eye heavily swollen, bruises all over his neck and face.

"What happened to him?" Asked Liz.

"The FBI did."

The group turned and standing there behind them was Jim Valenti.

"Dad!" Kyle exclaimed and then ran and hugged his father, he then hit him on the shoulder, "You shouldn't be here!"

Jim nodded.

Coming out of the entrance of the restaurant was Jeff and Amy and they both ran to their children hugging them forcefully.

Brody and Agent Tucker came out as well.

"Well, I see we found you guys." Said Brody. He then walked up to Max.

"How's my favorite ex-employee?"

Max shook his hand, "Good to see you too Brody. Though, I must say, all of you being here isn't good for us. The FBI would be keeping tracts on all of you."

"Not right now, they aren't." Agent Tucker said.

Michael motioned to him, "Whose he?"

Robert smiled, "Long story. Care to join us so we can all catch up?"

The seven reluctantly agreed and followed the five back into the restaurant.

The groups listened to their parent's story, first and were alarmed to hear about the new "methods", the FBI was using to get information out of people.

"Oh, my God, Mom, are you sure you're okay?" Maria asked.

Amy smiled, hearing her daughter concern for her, "I'm fine. Agent…"

Robert corrected her, "Ex-Agent."

Amy nodded, "Ex-Agent Tucker, here, took it upon himself to rescue us just as these three came and we were able to leave before anything else happened."

Michael didn't like the idea that this man was sitting with them, but since he wasn't asking any questions, he decided to let it go, for now."

Liz was demonstrating for her dad, under the counter, her ability.

"Does it hurt?" He asked her.

Liz shook her head, "It was weird at first when it all happened, but I've learned to accept it. Besides, this, I've also have the ability to see events before they happen."

Jeff thought for a moment, "Like the time you knew you got into Harvard, before even opening the letter?"

Liz nodded.

Amy took ahold of her daughter's hand, "Maria, what happened there in front of the hotel, what was that that I was seeing?"

This was it, Maria was going to tell her mother she was pregnant.

"Mom…What you saw…" Maria was stumbling about it. Maria then looked to Michael for guidance.

Michael looked at Amy, "You're going to be a grandmother, Mrs. DeLuca."

All conversations stopped at the table.

_**To be continued…**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N:** Sorry to be stopping it here, but, I need a break. I'll have next one up some time tomorrow, so don't you worry.

**A/N II**: Comments help the story, so let's have them:)


	5. Temptations

The group decided to spend the night in Hailey, they only thought it was right, so that Liz, Maria, and Kyle could have a little more time with their parents before everyone was to hit the road, again.

However, only two parents were with their kids, the other was in a bar.

Sitting inside the "Red Elephant Saloon" knocking back shots of tequila, Amy DeLuca was doing her thing when something came her way and she wasn't prepared for it, emotionally.

Staring into her third, empty, glass; she was beginning to wonder why she was so upset. So Maria was pregnant, so it was the child of a guy that Amy doesn't like; was it really all that terrible?

The truth was, Amy didn't know what to think. There was an irony to this. Maria having always judged Amy by her actions, like when she invited over Jim Valenti and for the crazy alien merchandise that she made. Now it was Amy's turn. Her turn to ridicule her daughter for getting pregnant, and with an alien escapee, no doubt.

Amy took another shot, with that in mind, and shook her head. No, when it came down to it, she wasn't going to make Maria feel horrible the way her own mother made Amy feel when she got pregnant and then have her own husband run out on her.

Taking her fifth and final shot, she, then, picked up her jacket and watched as Michael came and got something from the van and then headed back up to his and Maria's room.

_But, Michael…_

**Chapter Five: Temptations**

Sitting in his office above the twelfth floor, Jesse Rameriz sat and looked out at the Boston City. He sat, his thumb turning over and over his wedding ring, whilst he was looking at a photo in a cabinet next to the doorway. The Picture was of his wedding day.

_What is she doing, right now?_ He thought.

Jesse sighed, ever since that night after the graduation, he wised that he had the cojones to have been more persistent on coming with them.

Isabel would have battled with him to the death, on that. It's not like he didn't understand, though. Hell, he found out about her even before her own parents and had to explain to them about the FBI being at the graduation ceremony and the fact that she was running away and never coming back.

Taking this job was really hard. The house he had made for a surprise for Isabel was there waiting for him and even after the movers came and left, the place felt empty and shallow.

Jesse's phone rang, interrupting his sad thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jesse, It's Phillip."

Jesse sat down and put a hand to his face. It had been a month since he'd taken to his father-in-law.

"Mr. Evans! Wow, this a surprise, how are you?"

Phillip laughed on the other end, "I see things never change. Well, I'm fine and so is Diane, Listen, the reason I'm calling is I found out news that you might be interested in."

Jesse stood up straighter, his heart pounding, hoping to God that this would be about Isabel's return and coming out of seclusion.

"What?"

Jesse heard some deep breathing on the other end.

"Uh, Mr. Evans, are you alright, sir?"

"I guess its just a little warm in here. Oh, yeah, what I wanted to tell you was that…that the kids…" There was then a loud sound.

"Mr. Evans? Phillip? Dad?" Jesse was standing, now. His mind in a frenzy as to wonder what had happened.

He could hear on the other end, Diane, shrieking and then bending over and taking the phone.

"Whoever you are, I'm sorry, but my husband, I think, has had a heart attack. I'm going to hang up no, sorry." Diane said, and then there was a dead line.

* * *

Liz sat up in a jerk, in the middle of the night.

Max turned on the lamp next to them.

"Liz? Is everything okay? Did you have another "flash"?"

Liz nodded and she turned to Max, "Max, your Dad."

Max was worried. This was the first time in a while that Liz's flashes had ever went outside from where they were.

"What about him? Is he okay?"

Liz shook her head; "He had a heart attack."

Max looked away, thinking wildly.

"Max?" Liz looked at him, worried.

Max looked at the clock, seeing it was already ten-thirty at night, and most likely everyone was in bed, he sighed.

"Lets talk with everyone in the morning. Its been a hectic day already and people are probably wanting to sleep."

Liz nodded and kissed him, "Are you sure?"

Max sighed and nodded.

The next day, around breakfast time, everyone was at Shorty's. Max and Liz were the last to get up and over there and once they had ordered they broke the news about Liz's latest flash.

"Oh, my God!" Said Isabel, holding a hand to her mouth.

"Liz, are you sure?" Asked Jeff.

Liz nodded.

Jim got out his cell phone and called the hospital in Roswell, only to find out he couldn't get any information on Phillip's condition because he wasn't a family member.

To the surprise of everyone, Max grabbed the phone and talked to the receptionist.

Everyone looked to Max while he talked and then waited anxiously when he hung up.

"He's alright. Dad's not in any immediate danger, but they're keeping him overnight for observation."

Isabel heaved a sigh of relief, but looked far from relaxed.

"Max…I think we should see them. I need to know they're really okay."

"Are you nuts?" Michael asked, "The FBI probably knows all about it, if we go there, we'd be risking getting caught."

Jim nodded, "I have to agree with him. You kids have done alright by being under the radar, this long, going back would only reverse that."

Both Isabel and Max looked at eachother, depressed.

"Are you sure? According to Robert, they don't even know where the kids actually are, more or less on where they'd be heading to." Said Amy.

"They might get lucky and be able to do this." Said Sean, whose face looked back to normal after Max had healed him yesterday.

Jim shook his head, "Even if they got back to town, unnoticed, there are still those damn fliers with their faces on them."

Michael looked to Jim, "Fliers?"

Jeff sighed, "After you kids left graduation, someone started putting fliers all over town announcing an award for any information regarding the six of you. Jim tried his best to remove them, but its still fresh in people's minds. I hear it from time to time at the Crashdown."

"Great." Michael muttered.

Ava thought for a moment and then she looked behind her at two teens, one of them had a Entertainment Weekly magazine in front of them.

"Excuse me, sorry, but do you mind if I could look at that?" She asked the girl.

"Not at all, actually, if you want, you can have it. I've looked over it too many times, so its yours, if you want."

Ava smiled, "Thanks."

Everyone looked at eachother, wondering why the magazine was more interesting than what they were talking about.

"I've got an idea." Ava said and she then held the magazine up to her face, and when she brought it down, everyone leaned back in surprise.

"Well, how do I look?" She asked.

Kyle laughed, "Great, Miss Barrymore."

Ava had changed her face to Drew Barrymore's and with a wave of her hand, she changed back to her self.

Max grinned, "Perfect! Where did you learn to do that?"

"Zan taught me a long time ago. It takes a little practice but it helped in case the law was after us." Ava said, in sad tone. She really missed Zan.

"Wouldn't look awkward for a bunch of celebrities to come to Roswell, though?" Asked Maria.

Isabel nodded, "Perhaps we could use someone we see here and just visualize them later on and use them as a mask."

Everyone thought that sounded sensible enough.

Something about this troubled Kyle. "How long would this "mask" last?"

Ava thought for a moment. "A full day, at least."

"So, I guess we're really doing this, huh?" said Michael. "Going back to Roswell."

The group went quiet. It had been discussed a long time ago that heading back to Roswell may never be an option for a very long time. It happening so soon, was a different thought for each of the six.

* * *

Holding an icepack to his head, Agent Barns was in a very bad mood, today. Having lost the only two, who he believed, did make contact with the aliens, and then to learn that Agent Tucker was involved with the DeLuca's escape.

Agent Tucker. Barns knew he was weak from the first moment he met him.

No matter, he knew where they'd be heading next. If Amy DeLuca thought she was going to escape him, should guess again.

No one has ever got the better of Agent Henry Barns. No one.

* * *

Jesse had just arrived when Diane had came out of Phillip's room at the hospital.

At first, he wasn't sure what the best approach would be.

"Hi, Diane."

Diane Evans spun around and then burst into tears as she came up and hugged Jesse.

The two then went to the cafeteria at the hospital and had cups of jello, while Diane got herself back together.

"I'm sorry I acted that way, Jesse. Seeing you, there, I was reminded of Isabel."

Jesse rubbed her back with his hand, "It's all right. Is Phillip going to be, okay?"

Diane nodded, "It was just a mild heart attack. The doctor says its normal for someone of his age."

Jesse put two fingers to his forehead, "Diane…Phillip called me. He was about to tell me something related to Isabel and her friends, when…when this happened. Have either of you heard anything?"

Diane sighed, "Nancy, at the Crashdown Café, said Jeff had left because he found out some news on where they were. So did Valenti and Amy DeLuca. Yesterday, Phillip got a call from Jeff saying that he was coming home. It sounded to Nancy, though, that they weren't coming home alone. That…"

She looked Jesse in the eyes with hope that Jesse had been hoping for, as well.

Jesse smiled, which had to be the first in a great while.

"Isabel and the others might be coming with them? It's all over?"

Diane sighed and wiped a tear away from her eye.

"I'm not sure. I want to believe so, but. With all this business with the FBI tearing this town apart last month. I can't say it's for certain."

Jesse nodded. The FBI came and ransacked his office shortly after he had moved in.

"When did Mr. Parker say he'd be back by?"

Diane smiled, "Some time tomorrow. Can you be away from your office that long?"

Jesse hadn't told anyone from his Firm that he was coming down here, nor given any notice that he had arrived. Quite frankly, he didn't care.

"They can wait. I want to make sure you and Phillip are alright and see what new information is found on Isabel."

* * *

As the sun started to set in the evening, the two vehicles made their way into middle of the Nevada State. They were about fifty miles to Las Vegas, when the group's van had run out of gas.

Jeff, Jim, and Brody had left to go get some for them, leaving Amy, Sean, and Robert Tucker with the rest of the group.

Amy had asked to stay with them, because she wanted to talk to her daughter and Michael. Sean, because he had more questions from Max and Liz; and Robert, because he was interested in seeing how much more wrongful doing the FBI has done and to get a clearer perspective on what the Special Unit has done to these poor kids in the past.

While Max and Liz sat and tried their best to answer every insane question Sean could come up with; Isabel, Ava, and Kyle did their best to explain their run ins with the Special Unit. But no one was put into a harder place, than Maria and Michael.

"So, when did you first find out." Amy asked the two of them, calmly.

"A couple of days ago." Maria answered.

Amy nodded. Her mind still trying to push away the parental horror of this situation and instead to remain calm and understanding.

Everyone was quiet, wondering who was going to speak next, until Maria got up.

"I have to pee, so I'll return later." She then left, tasseling up Michael's hair as she went.

In a way, this was what Amy wanted, alone time, with Mr. Guerin.

"I hope you realize, you and I have a lot to talk about, Michael." Amy said.

Michael shifted uncomfortably as he really wished he were in a holding cell than having to listen to this.

"Since my daughter has met you, she's lied to me numerous amounts of time, she's broken laws, and as far as I can tell, she's been in great danger." Amy's eyes met Michael's. "Now, she's pregnant. I need you to tell me, why I shouldn't be so freaked out about this."

Michael wasn't so sure what the best approach to this might be.

"I honestly don't have an answer for you, Miss DeLuca." Michael then got up and started walking.

"Don't you dare leave this conversation, Michael Guerin. I'm not through talking with you." Amy said sternly.

Michael had enough, "Well, I'm not going to sit by and either hear you trash me or me having to agree with everything that's not perfect with my life! Because, I agree, it's not perfect. To be honest, the only thing that is, is having Maria in it."

"But what do you really have to offer her? Danger, possibly getting killed, or arrested; do you think Maria actually deserves to live your kind of life?" Amy shot back.

Michael rubbed his face hard, "That isn't my decision, it's hers."

Amy sat down, sighing.

Michael groaned and sat down next to her.

Neither of them spoke for awhile. Instead, both watched the embers crackling in the fire that was made a little while earlier.

"Just promise me something, Michael." Amy said.

Michael turned to her.

"Don't give her my life. Don't leave her when things are looking too tough for you to handle. Don't do to Maria what my husband did to me."

Soon, Jeff and the others had returned with loaded gas cans and they were back on the road. It took them into the late afternoon before they had arrived into Roswell and just before they reached city limits, everyone applied their "masks" as they headed in. Michael had to help with Maria's while Liz and Kyle managed to do their own.

Everyone decided to go to the Crashdown Café and when they arrived, Robert and Jim went about to get rid of any listening devices that the FBI installed to insure privacy. Jeff led the group up into Liz's room, all the while telling Nancy that he was having a meeting with some new people interested in becoming cooks, waiters and waitresses.

As soon as her room was debugged, Jeff called up Nancy as everyone got rid of their masks. Nancy was in shock and in utter joy when the short perky blonde was revealed to be her daughter.

"Liz! Oh, thank God!" She immediately hugged her daughter and cried.

"I'm okay, Mom, really." She said.

Letting them have their moment alone, and after Robert came up and announced the place was officially safe and, much to Jeff annoyance, he produced about twenty-eight different "bugs" that had been placed in the restaurant.

"Those bastards. The sanctity of a home and business has officially been lost in this country." Jeff said, grudgingly.

Max and Isabel talked to eachother, discussing about how to see their father and mother at the hospital, seeing as how they couldn't give any information as to revealing themselves as his children.

It was at this time, Nancy immerged and spoke up, "I think I know someone who could help you. He arrived from Boston yesterday."

Isabel held a hand to her chest, "Jesse's here?"

Nancy nodded, "He's been coming in here around the clock since yesterday. I suspect he'll be here shortly to see if Jeff's returned."

Isabel had to sit down.

Max went to her, "Are you ok, with seeing him?"

Isabel nodded, though, she knew this was going to be hard.

"I have to see him." She said.

* * *

Sitting in a black suv, across the street from the Crashdown Café, Agent Barns, along with Agent Kern, watched through a pair of binoculars at the activity present in the café. He'd knew that Agent Tucker would help bring back home Amy and Sean DeLuca, the added bonus was that he also brought in a group of teenagers driving a van similar to the description of the one leaving that night at graduation. However, these people, by the eye, looked nothing like the six reported and there appeared to be a seventh.

Agent Barns wasn't fooled. It was documented that these creatures had extraordinary abilities, which would enable them to change their appearance.

No, these were them. Barns wasn't going to collar them just yet, oh no. He would wait until they slipped. Revealed their true selves and then he would round them up.

"Have Agents Reiner, Gomez, Sanford, and Fowley put posts on the houses of the suspects." He told Agent Kern.

She nodded and took out her handset and relayed the orders.

Agent Barns continued to watch them inside.

_Oh, yes. Have your moment of peace, back home. Enjoy it, while you can._

* * *

Maria had agreed to stay with her mother at home until the group had decided that it was time to leave again. That and having seen Michael's attitude, she felt that this was probably needed for her mother to go easy on the idea that all of this was happening. The trip over here and been a relatively quiet one. Her mom only made a couple of glances at her and sighed during the trip.

Upon reaching the house, they were in shock to see the front door was wide open.

Maria was frightened as to what or who this could possibly be.

Amy told her to stay in the car as she cautiously went inside the ajar entry way. Upon inside, she noticed that it wasn't like it was several months ago when the FBI had allowed themselves inside and tore the place apart.

Everything was as it was.

Going into the living room, she found a blonde girl sleeping on the sofa.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" Amy asked aloud, waking the girl.

The blonde girl, who had thin eyebrows, was wearing a short sleeved shirt and black pants, looked up dazily.

"Is Maria here?"

Maria, who had braved herself to follow her mother in, ran to this girl.

"Oh, my God, Laurie! What are you doing here!"

Amy sighed, "Maria, what's going on, who is this?"

Maria looked at her mother, "Mom, I'm sorry. Laurie, this is my mother, Mom, this is Laurie Dupree. She's…She's Michael's sister."

Amy looked at this girl, who to Amy resembled nothing of Michael Guerin.

"Really?" She asked.

Maria nodded.

"Well, why did she break in here?"

Laurie looked, uncomfortably, at the side. "I'm sorry. I've been hiding."

Maria sat down next to her and held her hand, "From who? I thought you were going to be okay since we got rid of your evil aunt and uncle."

Amy had no idea on what was going on. She decided to play it safe, until Maria told her everything about this, and play hostess.

"When was the last time you've eaten?" She asked.

"Last night." Laurie answered.

Amy smiled, reluctantly. "I'll fix you two up something." She then went to the kitchen.

* * *

Jesse came to the Crashdown Café in apprehension. Nancy had called him telling him that there were two young people who wanted advice for pursuing a career in law, when all the while, Jesse was hoping for some news related to the six.

Nancy told him that they'd be in Liz's room.

Upon entering, he was greeted by a guy with a Mohawk and a fiery redhead with full lips.

The red head seemed to be smiling at him.

"I understand you wanted to see me?" Jesse said, hoping he could make this quick so he could go back downstairs and talk to Nancy about Jeff and the others.

Both of them waived their hands over faces to reveal themselves to be Max and Isabel.

Jesse held where he was for a moment, then immediately ran up and picked Isabel off of the floor in a hug.

Max smiled, seeing them together made him happy.

The two kissed for several minutes before Max faked a cough.

Jesse walked over and shook Max's hand.

"It's been a long time, Max. Too long."

Max nodded.

Jesse ad Isabel sat down on Liz's bed, "Oh, God, how long have I wanted to see your face again."

Tears formed in Isabel's eyes as she stifled a laugh, "Yeah, it has been long for me too."

"So, is it safe now? Are you guys home for good? No more running?" Jesse asked, hoping.

Max sighed, "No. It isn't safe yet. We're only back in town for today and tomorrow. Tomorrow we leave. We heard about our dad. Is he going to be okay?"

Jesse nodded, "He's suffered a mild heart attack. I hear he's going to be released today."

"We need to see him. However, since we can't announce that we're his children, we need your help." Said Isabel.

Jesse nodded, "I'll do everything I need to do. When do you want to go over there?"

"Let's leave right now." Max said and both he and Isabel put back on their disguises as Jesse led the way out of Liz's room.

* * *

As Liz Parker showed her mother and father snapshots of her wedding at the St. Augestine's Church in Santa Fe, she noticed different emotions in the eyes of her parents. Both of them had voiced their sadness not to have been present during this event in their daughter's life and both encouraged Liz that, once the time was available that they should have another ceremony for her and Max to redo their vows for each other.

Liz was happy to see that her Max's union had not upset her parents, who had once decreed that he be forbidden to be in her life forever.

Being with them again made her happy, yet sad. It had been decided that their time back in Roswell was to be short and that they were to be on the road again. For how long though? What was the point to be traveling all the time if there was no goal insight? Were they to be forever driving aimlessly across the United States?

Liz sighed. With the powers that were given to her and Kyle, and those already had by the other three, what point was it to have such a unique gift if you couldn't use it to better your life? If they could change their appearance on a daily basis, wouldn't that mean they could live out a life?

Liz admitted to herself that she was tempted.

"Liz?"

Liz snapped back to the present.

* * *

Michael, Kyle, Ava, and Jim drove to Amy's house with Sean, who was beleaguering poor Kyle with more questions of his experience as a human within the group.

"So, really, are they any different, you know, naked?"

Kyle laughed, "What?"

"I mean, do they have the stuff or are they basically Ken and Barbie like people?"

Michael groaned, "I'm right here, you know."

As they pulled up and got out, Maria came out of the house followed by someone Michael was not expecting to see.

"Laurie? What are you doing here?" He asked. He was even more surprised when she came up and hugged him. Having been used to more physical harm from her than anything else friendly.

"Who's this?" Sean asked.

"It's a long story, but, she's my sister." Michael said.

Sean shook his head, sounding disappointed, "Oh, so you're an alien too, huh?"

Laurie shook her head, "No. I'm not."

Sean scratched the back of his head, "Ok, now I'm _**really**_ confused."

Maria took him inside, "I'll explain it to you later."

Jim, Kyle, Ava joined her and went inside as well.

Michael and Laurie sat on the front porch swing in front of Amy's house, Laurie hugged her knees as she looked at Michael.

"I hear I'm going to become an aunt. In some way or another."

Michael laughed, "Crazy, huh?"

Laurie shook her head, "No. It's not crazy. You too seem so perfect, it's only seems natural."

Michael shrugged, "If you say so. So, what's happening with you? Why are you here, all of a sudden?"

Laurie looked at Michael with absolute seriousness.

"My Aunt and Uncle are out to get me again. This time, I think they're trying to have me killed."

Michael sat up straight. "What?"

Laurie sighed, "It happened a week ago, when I was coming home for the weekend from college. I was pulled over by a guy who said he was having engine trouble. By the time I pulled over near his car, he pulled out a gun and I was forced to drive away. Later, Rosalinda, said she saw my aunt and uncle in town talking to some very weird people." Laurie looked at Michael with scared eyes, "Michael, I think they're trying to get rid of me."

* * *

At first, Diane wasn't sure why Jesse was bringing in these strange teenagers to see Phillip, but then she saw their eyes and knew immediately who they were, even before they waived their hands over their faces to reveal themselves.

"Max! Isabel!" She ran over and hugged her children. She cried out loud and both hushed her, while looking over their shoulders as they hugged her back.

Phillip teared in his eyes as well, seeing his children back safe, again.

Max went over and hugged his father.

"Glad to see you both in one piece." Said Phillip.

"Where have you been?" Diane asked.

Max smiled, "Oh, here and there."

Diane noticed the wedding band on Max's finger and sighed.

"I guess congratulations, are in order." She pointed to his finger.

Max blushed and scratched the back of his head, "A lot has happened."

Both Max and Isabel discussed briefly of their travels across the US and then to their troubles in Idaho.

Up to the point where Max discussed how they thwarted Nicholas kidnapping Isabel, Jesse squeezed her tightly.

"I thought this thing with Khivar was over?" He asked.

Max sighed, "He's persistent. "No means no" doesn't hold very much on him, I guess."

Isabel was enjoying this, as she sure Max was. Being with their parents, Jesse by her side, holding her, once again; could they really give all this up again? It broke her heart when she had to tell Jesse to stay and not go with her the last time, to tell her parents they may never see her or Max ever again. Could she really repeat that all over again? As tempted, as she was to stay, she tearfully knew, this wasn't going to be now.

Isabel squeezed Jesse to her, tightly.

* * *

Amy was surprised to have as many guests over for an early dinner as she did right now. It was nice to have some more female company over to help with the cooking, though. Other than making pies, Amy hasn't been the cooking expert of the household. Usually her and Maria ordered out.

Maria, Ava, and Laurie helped her out while the men made a table in the living room.

Soon they had full Mexican dishes made, courtesy of Maria's learning in Home Economics and Laurie's recipes given to her by her Hispanic nanny.

They had Chicken and Beef Tamales, Posole, Tacos Grande, Tacos de Pescale, and home made Churros. As the girls brought out the food, the guys helped them into their places and the feast began.

Watching everyone talking and enjoying themselves: Ava and Laurie discussing about alien things, Kyle, Sean, and Jim arguing about favorite teams, and Maria feeding Michael some spicy frijoles that she had created.

Amy smiled, watching her daughter and Michael, watching the entire group; and feeling a little better than she had before.

Michael, too, looked at the whole gathering with awe and warmth. This was something he had not experienced. This felt like one of those homes he had so desperately wanted, and yet, felt as if he could never have. Seeing Maria happy, seeing people engaged in conversations, ignoring the fact that the world outside the house beckoned them to depart and to be aware.

Temptation drove him to want this moment to never end.

* * *

"Agent Gomez, is the subject in visible sight?" Called Agent Barns.

"Yes, sir. She's in sight." He replied.

"Reiner, Fowley, are your subjects in visible sight?"

"Targets are in plain sight, sir."

Barns nodded. "Agent Sanford, Agent Kent, are your subjects in visible sight?"

"Targets are acquired, awaiting further orders." Said Agent Kent.

This was it. It was time.

"All Agents, move in to phase two. Repeat, take designated targets _**alive**_."

At all three residences, the power had been shut off.

* * *

"What the hell?" Exclaimed Jeff, he then proceeded downstairs to check on the fuse box, while Liz look to her mother.

"They're after us I can feel it! Mom, I'm sorry but I have to go and warn the others."

They then heard a loud crash coming from downstairs.

"Jeff!" Nancy yelled and both she and Liz went downstairs, Liz's hand up and at the ready, and crackling like mad.

The glow from her hand gave a little visibility to the darkness that surrounded them.

Liz felt her heart beating at a mile a minute, as the edged their way to the circuit breaker near the back entrance to the kitchen.

Coming around a corner, Liz heard another thudding sound coming next to her, and she turned to see her mother lying on the floor with a feathered dart sticking from her neck.

Another pair of footsteps could be heard. Liz spun around as someone, dressed in black hit a blunt object on her head, sending her world into darkness.

* * *

Max and Isabel got up, in alarm, as Jesse pulled out his gun.

"You got another one?" Isabel asked, surprised.

"Better safe than sorry." He said.

"I'm going to get some candles." Said Diane and Jesse went with her as she went to the closet in the living room.

Max turned to his father, "Dad, we need to go. If this is happening it can only mean the others are in danger, as well."

Phillip nodded, "Be safe son."

Max nodded.

Phillip, however, fell to the floor. Max bent over to retrieve him and saw a feathered dart coming from his neck.

Max put a force field around both him and Isabel as Isabel bent over to attend to their father.

"Dad! Dad!" She shook him, hoping beyond hope he would get up. But to no avail, he was out cold.

Two other darts came from the window behind them, and Max and Isabel fell to the floor with their father.

* * *

As soon as the power went out, Michael went immediately into action.

"Ava, Kyle, get everyone to the van and get out of here, now!" He ushered.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Asked Kyle.

"No time for questions, just do it!"

Ava and Kyle hurried as they quietly tried to get everyone out the back door, while Michael held his hand out and went to the window. He put his back to it as he watched with the corner of his eye out side. He could faintly make out two dark suvs about a mile away. Michael reached out and made their engines explode.

Right there and then, two men came bursting through the door.

Michael knocked one of them back against the wall, while the other one fired at him.

Michael felt darkness hit him just as the floor did when he fell.

Outside, They had manged to get everyone inside.

"Get everyone to the UFO canter and ask Brody to hide them in the basement." Kyle instructed Ava.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Asked Maria.

"I'm going to go back and help Michael. Now go, Ava!" He yelled.

Maria and Jim yelled in protest but their voices were carried away as Ava floored the van and had them speeding out into the darkness.

Before Kyle could take another step, a feathered dart hit him in the leg and he fell down.

* * *

Barns sat back in his chair, rocking back and forth as he held up his handset to his face.

"Agents, report."

"Target contained." Said Agent Gomez.

"Targets contained." Said Agent Sanford.

"Targets contained, sir, but one managed to evade." Said Agent Reiner.

Barns thought for a moment, then shrugged. One out of six; not too bad.

"No matter, Agent Reiner. Bring those contained to facility."

Today had been a very good day to Agent Henry Barns.

_**To be continued…**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N**: If anyone feels I've misresearched something tangible to the Roswell characters, feel free to tell me. I'd rather get this right than wrong. Thanks.

**A/N II**: So, what do ya think? Comments are worth while. Please, please, give them.

_**Q-n-P**_


	6. A Change in Development

A flurry of images appeared in Michael's head. Many of them consisted of the many moments that he shared with Maria. The time when he had first saw her drop her books and remarked about her being weird. Another of them at the UFO center, after Michael had his ass handed to him by that gargantuan, and he revealed to Maria that he had stepped up and helped her mother out by competing against the heavy weight champ. Another, when they were in Vegas and he used an excuse to go get a hamburger to really have Maria perform on stage and hearing her sing. Last, but not least, the moment he shared with her in their hotel room in Boise.

A sudden light appeared which seemed to bring him out of these.

Following that light, Michael's eyes opened and he found himself strapped to a table. A table that was one of five, that came around in a circle. The other tables consisted of Max, Isabel, Liz and Kyle.

One of Michael's greatest fears has come true.

They have been captured.

**Chapter Six: A Change in Development**

The room was as Max had described when he had been captured. White.

Nothing striking was seen, with maybe the exception of a large black window, which Michael could only assume was see through by the other side.

Michael heard grunting and moaning. He looked over and saw Max was the next to awake.

"How long have we been out?" He asked.

Michael sighed, "Can't tell."

Max soon noticed who the other occupants were.

"Liz!" He called out. She remained motionless.

"I don't think the drug has worn off her yet." Michael said.

Michael noticed, while they've been tied down with leather straps, that their hands were suspended in glass filled with some sort of blue liquid.

"Michael, I can't seem to use my powers." Max said.

Michael sighed loudly, "Neither can I, these things seem to suppress them."

What could they do? What about the others? Did Ava get them to safety? Was Maria okay?

What about their unborn children?

Michael suddenly found himself fraught with fear, as he now understood that he was unaware of what was happening.

* * *

The Parker's, the Evans', and Jesse met up with the group below in Brody's room in just a few hours as day broke. 

Everyone told their version of what had happened last night when the five were abducted.

"So, what are we going to do?" Amy asked.

"Jim, Maria, didn't Liz mention in her journal about some sort of abandoned facility that they took Max at one time?" Asked Jeff.

Both Jim and Maria nodded.

"Do you think they might be there again?"

Jim thought for a moment and then shrugged, "There's a possibility. Its worth looking into, for right now."

After that being said, the discussion then turned to who would go with him.

Maria turned to Ava, "Are you going with them?"

Ava sighed, "I'm not sure. I mean, you're on their list. If I'm gone who'll protect you? I'm not sure Rath, er, Michael would forgive me if I did that."

Maria smiled, "Don't worry about what, "Spaceboy" thinks. Do what you feel's right."

Sean put a hand on Maria's shoulder, "Besides, not all humans are worthless."

Maria rolled her eyes as Ava stifled a laugh.

"What?" Asked Sean.

Maria suddenly stood up and then rushed to the rest room. Upon entering she went to the toilet and hurled. Wiping her mouth she felt something going on in her stomach. Going to the mirror, she raised her shirt and discovered her belly had grown about two inches out.

"Oh, my God." She said out loud.

Ava and Laurie came in.

"Maria are you…" Ava began, but stopped once she saw Maria's stomach.

"Wow. That's progress, if I've ever seen it." Said Laurie.

Maria found herself laughing.

"Maria, are you okay." Ava asked.

Maria then slumped down to the floor and the laughter turned into crying.

Both girls went to her and sat down next to her.

Maria shook her head, "Michael's gone, Liz is gone; the only two who could help me understand this are gone."

Both girls stood up as the door opened again and Amy came in.

"Maria?"

Amy then went down and cradled her daughter, shushing her.

Both Laurie and Ava decided that it would be best if they let her handle this and they left.

* * *

Agent Barns looked through the window and listened on the speaker as Michael and the others, all of whom had now awake, talked about their current situation. 

Agent Veronica Kern, walked up to Agent Barns and handed him a stack of dossiers.

"Here's the files that you wanted on each of them, sir." She said.

"Thank you, Agent." He said and took them and then laid them out on the table in front of him.

Everything was an art to Henry Barns. The perfect way to get a person to divulge everything you wanted to know had to be perfect. The way you spoke, the way you made your movements when talking or making gestures, everything. You had to know your craft left and right. These kids were to be his canvasses and their knowledge Barns' art. The right tools were to know everything there was to know about them. Right down to their favorite gum.

"Let me talk to Mr. Guerin, first."

* * *

Amy kept on shushing Maria until she finally stopped crying. 

"Feel any better?" She asked.

Maria swallowed, "Yes and no. I still don't have Michael back, but I'm getting a grip."

Amy kissed her daughter's head. "He's going to be alright. He's going to come back to you. You understand me?"

Maria nodded and sighed loud as she wiped her eyes and stood up.

It was then, that, she noticed they weren't alone in the bathroom, as Brody stood there in the doorway.

"Does this body deceive me, or are you carrying one of the Royal Four's children?" He asked.

Amy sighed, "Now's not the time to make jokes, Brody."

Maria stepped closer to him, with confusion on her face.

"Wait a minute. Is that you, Larek?"

Amy looked at her daughter. "Larek? Whose Larek?"

Brody nodded, "Yes. Is it true?"

Maria nodded.

Brody then walked closer and put his hand on Maria's belly.

"Curious. This is the first time a human has become the bearer of another species child, or in this case an Alien-human hybrid."

Amy stood their open mouthed at what she was hearing. She decided to ask Maria about this later.

Maria touched her stomach and again felt the emotions felt by the growing fetuses inside.

"What's happening, Larek? Why am I going at the same speed of the labor cycle that one of the pod people goes through? Why am I able to feel what my children are feeling?"

Brody's face contorted, "This is rare, but it appears your DNA sequence is compatible to that of our females. Thus your cycle is going at the same rate as ours. As for the feeling your children's emotions…" Brody smiled, "It's only natural for a mother to understand her children. On Antar, this is quite common, where as they can communicate with their unborn."

Amy decided she had been quite long enough, "Does she need anything special? Will she give birth normally like humans?"

Brody stiffened and then turned his head down, "Again, this is rare. Nothing, in recorded history, has ever been documented on a cross-species breeding. I will have to research this and come back to you later."

Brody then collapsed.

"Brody!" Amy yelled and she ran and caught him, just in time.

Brody's eyes snapped open and he looked all around.

"Why am I in the loo?"

Maria smiled, "You passed out, silly."

* * *

Three men came in, two had weapons, the third went behind Michael's table and pressed a button as he lifted back of the table releasing two wheels from the bottom legs. 

While the other two escorted them, the third man pushed Michael away from the others and came up to a wall, which had a silver square on it.

One of the escorts put his hand on it and the square illuminated.

There was a "whooshing" sound and the wall slid into itself, revealing a separate room.

The third man pushed Michael inside and once they were in the door closed behind them.

Inside was a balding man with a thin scar on his upper lip, which was canopied by a thin mustache.

"Good Morning, Mr. Guerin." He said. "I'm Special Agent Barns of the FBI. I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind."

Michael felt sick seeing this man smile, whose teeth were rotted and yellow.

"I'm not really in a chatty mood. Maybe tomorrow?" Michael said.

That smile never left that man's face.

"Really? I'm very "chatty" today. Especially, when I find out that it was you and your friends that destroyed that airbase here in Roswell. That makes me want to talk all night long, Mr. Guerin." Agent Barns then took out a double bladed, straight, razor and moved it back and forth along his fingers.

Michael could tell where this was about to go.

"Now let's see here. The topic I want to talk about with you, is your girlfriend, Maria."

Michael could feel his blood boil, just by hearing this whack-job say her name out loud.

"Maria's a very special girl, isn't she, Michael. What with her full lips, her long, curly hair, That heavenly singing voice; and the way those EYES look at you."

Where the hell was he going with this. This was torture, just by this man breathing it with his rancid breath, which was close to Michael's face as he leaned over him.

"You would do anything for her, wouldn't you?" Agent Barns' said.

Michael gave no reply; he wouldn't let this man have the luxury of it.

"I'll bet you two talk about a lot of things. Your home planet, your destructive abilities, the way you sweet talk her in the Eraser Room. Why, even the way your bodies throb when touching each other."

This guy was sick.

"Michael. I want you two to be together and not apart like this. Tell me, what is the name of your planet?"

Michael looked down and then up at Agent Barns.

"Atari. Its called Atari and I'm the leader of the Space Invaders."

Agent Barns' smile appeared and then he took the razor quickly swiped at Michael's left eyebrow, ripping it completely off in the process.

Michael shouted out in pain. Blood formed and quickly over flowed and came down to his eye, stinging it in the process.

Agent Barns picked up the brow, with the skin attached and put it on Michael's chest. He then leaned down next Michael's ear.

Michael could swear this guy smelled worst than what his teeth looked.

"I'll bet if I peel enough layers off, I'll be able to see the alien inside you." Agent Barns then smiled, "Let's try again, shall we?"

* * *

Ava had decided she would go with Jim Valenti and the others, seeing as how her gifts would help them. Jim's group consisted of him, Sean, Jesse, and Jeff. All of who were given handguns. 

They took Jim's car to the site where he had helped rescue Max. He had hope that this was where he was being held again, along with the others.

Going through the long corridors, Jim had found the place where he had picked up Max along with Michael, only to see that no reconstruction had ever taken place. There were no lights and spiders had quickly came to call this place home, as webs were seen hanging from every corner.

Jim sighed. He had hoped this would be the place.

Ava nudged him, "Hey, lets take a look around and see if there are any clues to where they might have gone."

Jim smiled and nodded.

The group then went in farther into the area.

* * *

"Ok, so what you're telling me is that Max, Isabel, and Michael are clones of a royal family?" 

Maria nodded, telling this to her mother was going easier than expected.

"Why was Brody, I mean Larek, so astounded by you having Michael's children?" Amy asked as they ate their sandwiches.

Maria sighed, "Well, Max and Isabel's biological alien mom, had it planned for them to return back to their planet as they were before they were all brutally killed by Khivar. Max and Tess were king and queen, and Isabel and Michael were married and were expecting their first child."

Amy coughed as her food went down the wrong tube. "Excuse me? Isabel and Michael?"

Maria nodded.

"Two years ago, after learning their "destiny" those guys were planning on going back to Antar by a ship known as the Granalith. But, Michael, Isabel, and Max backed out. Tess was the only one who went back to Antar."

"Why did Michael decide to drop out?" Amy asked.

Maria smiled, "You'll never believe it. I sure as hell didn't, but Michael told me, it was because of me. He didn't plan it, but he fell in love with me and wanted to stay because of it."

To Amy, that was sacrifice. She grudgingly accepted the fact that there was more to Michael than she already knew. He almost did exactly what she warned him not to, and instead he did the opposite and choose his daughter.

Amy was going to have to give him a hug and an apology, next time she saw him.

Amy looked at her daughter who looked like she was a war-widow.

Amy took her hand, "He's going to come back to you. He will."

Maria smiled, "Thanks, Mom."

Amy then noticed Brody come over and sit down next to them.

"I did my research."

"Larek?" Amy asked.

Brody nodded.

Maria leaned forward, "So, what did you find out?"

Brody looked her deep in the eyes. "Since this has never happened before, I can't be certain. My scientists are certain, though, that even if you make it through the entire month's cycle, giving birth, especially to these twins; you have a half and half chance."

Maria looked to her mom, who was looking at Brody in alarm.

" 'Half and half' chance of what?"

Brody sighed, "Of surviving the birth to your children."

* * *

Max, Isabel, Liz, and Kyle looked on in horror as Michael was wheeled back in the waiting room. 

His entire face coated in blood, both of his eyebrows and an ear lay on his chest.

"Michael." Isabel whispered in horror.

The three men, then, moved onto Kyle and brought his table onto its wheels.

"Stay away from him!" Yelled Liz

One of the armed escorts brought out a syringe and went over and injected the fluid into Liz's neck.

"Liz!" Max yelled.

Liz then went limp and her eyes closed.

The three men then took Kyle into the separate room.

* * *

"Found something!" yelled Jeff. 

Everyone immediately came to him, as Jeff was next to a filing cabinet with an open folder laid out on the table.

"It seems that they had a "back up" facility waiting for them at the old abandoned Hannigan School, over near the old highway. I'll put a lot of money on that they are there."

Jim slapped Jeff on the back, "I'll bet you're right. Let's get going."

It took them several miles and thirty minutes when they arrived.

Jim noticed parked behind the structure were four unmarked black suvs.

_Jackpot._ He thought.

He turned to the group.

"This looks like the place. Before we go in I want all of you to know, that even though they're tormenting our kids, these are FBI. We've all seen what they did to you Sean and believe me I'm not going to give these guys the benefit of the doubt. Our friends are in there, and our children. But if you choose to kill any one of these men, it will reflect back on our town and our life. Right now, decide what you're going to do when you go in there."

No one spoke.

"Everyone ready to go, then?" Jim asked as he cocked the hammer of his gun.

They all filed in as they went through the double doors of the abandoned school.

Jim took the lead while Jesse took the rear.

* * *

As soon as Kyle had laid eyes on him, he knew pure evil when he saw it. That and the bloody double edged razor lying on the table. 

"Good Afternoon, Kyle." Said Agent Barns.

Kyle found himself terrified. He wasn't so sure if it was the man or the blade that had turned Michael into a Mr. Potato Head toy.

"I find it fascinating, Kyle, that a boy of your talent is wasting his time being with people who get in trouble with the law." Agent Barns oozed his way behind Kyle's head.

"I think it's even more interesting seeing you befriend a guy who stole your girlfriend. How does that make you feel, Kyle? Seeing Max Evans with his arms around your girlfriend, kissing her, sleeping with her, and marrying her?"

Kyle laughed in his head. This guy didn't know a thing about him. Even though he had accepted that Max and Liz were together, Buddhism taught him how he didn't need jealousy, pain, anger or anything else that was an empty emotion.

Agent Barns continued, "I can see it in your eyes, the hatred. Sure, you think achieving eternal peace and a higher mind will free you from dealing with what happens in your daily life, but let's face facts, Kyle. You're a scared and angry, little boy. Whose Dad's life fell apart because of the friends you made, even your dead, friend, Tess…"

Agent Barns leaned his mouth close to Kyle's ear. "I was one of the agents who found her charred up corpse, laying on the ground like some two-bit whore who liked to have things rough."

Kyle closed his eyes, trying to go into his peaceful area, and escape this demon.

"I'll bet your daddy liked to watch her change. After all having no goal in life, because of your son and his friends, makes you do things you normally wouldn't."

The glass tubes, with the liquids, containing his hands began to boil.

* * *

So far, things were going okay. They had managed to injure and then knock out three Agents and no siren or alarm was made. 

The Agents seem to have been coming from the downstairs.

Jim had only been to this place once was he was seven with his Dad, who went here as a teen, during his alumni celebration.

Going down to the second floor, it looked as though a huge remolding job had been done since the floor tile and the walls looked brand new.

Moving their way down, Jim, Jeff, Sean, Jesse, and Ava stopped as they saw two other Agents guarding two sets of doors.

Jim turned to Ava, "Do your thing, girl."

Ava nodded and closed her eyes.

Down the corridor, the two Agents started shouting and ran out the doors at the opposite side, which led them out.

"What did they see?" Jim asked.

"Max and Michael escaping. It'll probably put them in Texas by the time it wears off." Ava said.

Jim smiled, "Alright, let's go."

They walked down the remainder of the hallway and stopped before going through the doors.

With Jeff on the other side, Jim held out his gun, while Jeff slowly opened the left side of the twin doors.

Peering inside, Jim could see no other agents inside. He motioned to the others and they walked in.

Inside, on the table were folders with the kids' names on them. Looking forward, Jim could see them lying on tables strapped with weird glass containers on their hands and then he saw Michael.

"Dear God…"

He looked around the room and fear struck his heart. He couldn't see Kyle.

As the doors opened, Max heaved a sigh of relief to see Jim, Ava, Jeff, Jesse, and Sean come in.

Sean, Ava, and Jeff went immediately to releasing them, while Jim went over to Michael.

"Michael? Michael?"

Michael looked up at him, "About…time."

Jim helped untie him and as Max was freed of his bonds and his glass containers, he went straight for Michael, but Jim held him back.

"Where's Kyle, Max?"

Max pointed a finger at the wall. "There's a secret room in there."

Jim held out his gun and pointed it directly at the wall.

"How do you open it?"

Ava came up, "Let me help."

* * *

"These aren't your friends, Kyle. They're cowards, thieves; they prevented you from living a normal life. You know this Kyle. You know this and want your old life back. I can help, all you have to do is tell me everything about them." 

Agent Barns' carcinogenic smell filled Kyle with sickness and anger. The glass containing his hands seemed to heat up so high that the glass was expanding. Kyle's eyes then clouded over and were completly balck.

"Get away from my son."

Agent Barns looked behind him from the corner of his eye, seeing Jim pointing his gun about two feet away from Barns' face.

Agent Barns smiled he then spun around and grabbed the gun from Valenti.

"If there's one thing I hate, it's interruptions." He then pointed the gun directly back at Jim.

Jim realized that with the door closed and the room obviously being sound proof and small, he had no where to evade this shot or call for help.

Kyle burnt through his restraint from the heat of the glass and then he smashed the white-hot glass against Agent Barns' thigh.

Agent Barns fell down, dropping the gun, as he clutched at his leg.

Jim retrieved it as Agent Barns took out a butterfly knife and placed it against Kyle's throat.

Jim froze in fear.

"This is how you do things, Deputy. Fear is how you get what you want. Pain is how you get the job done and…" He found the pressure against Kyle gone and he took back his knife to see that the blade had melted.

Jim smiled, "We do things differently around here." Jim then, turned his gun around and knocked Agent Barns across the face.

As he had emerged with Kyle, Jim noticed everyone had been freed and that Michael had his face back. Although, there was some heavy scaring.

"I'm sorry, Michael. I tried but it seems that I can't undo the scars." Said Max, apologetically.

Both Jesse and looked at Michael with a nod of appreciation of how it wasn't all that bad.

Liz punched Michael, playfully, in the arm, "Don't look so glum. Maria might think you're _**dangerous**_, because of them."

Michael sighed and looked up to Jim, "Did you murder that son of a bitch?"

Jim shook his head and turned to his son and smiled, "No, but he won't be able to show those teeth again, nor speak for the rest of his life."

Kyle explained to everyone how he had closed up Barns' mouth and unhooked his vocal cords.

"Couldn't happen to a better man." Said Jeff. "Now, let's get you kids back."

* * *

Back at the UFO Center, Maria was still trying to come to grips with the news Larek gave her. 

What did this mean? That she had a fifty-percent chance of dying from giving birth?

She was going to die from having her children brought into the world?

This was making Maria sick, and she had enough of that already going into her phase one of the going into alien labor.

She sighed. She knew that she shouldn't think such dire thoughts. Larek DID say that he was going to try to get more information and that his scientists and researchers were going to get a more definitive answer.

But how long was that going to take?

Amy wasn't handling it any better. After Larek left again, she immediately went to call Phillip and Diane and asked them if they could bring over a bottle of whiskey.

The only person who was willing to figure this out with Maria was Laurie.

"Who knows, it may turn out to be okay." She said, smiling.

Maria sighed, again. There always seemed to be a catch with dating a man from Antar.

Maria then laughed to herself as she imagined writing a book entitled, "Men are from Antar, Women are from Earth."

Just then, Jim Valenti arrived, as did everyone else.

"Look what we found."

Everyone went to their respectful other: Max and Isabel to Jesse and the Evans, Liz to the Parker's, while Kyle remained with his dad as he joined the others.

Maria looked to the door and after awhile, her heart felt as if it had stopped.

Maria went up to Jim, "Where's Michael?"

Jim thought for a moment, "He'll be here. He…had something he needed to do. Word of the wise, Maria. Be nice to him when you see him. That nut job of an Agent did quite the number on him."

Max came over to her and explained about what had happened and how he tried to fix the damage but the scarring still occurred.

Soon after he said it, Michael came through the doorway, wearing some sunglasses.

Maria watched her mother giving her a look.

Maria could already tell what it was.

_Are you going to tell him?_

Maria ignored the thought as Michael came up to her and gave her a hug.

Maria took a deep breath and stood back, "Alright, 'Spaceboy', let's see the damage."

Michael did his usual deep sigh out of deep irritance, but he allowed her to remove the shades.

Michael had a circular scar that ran across each eyebrow and another vertical one from his left ear.

Maria kissed Michael.

She held him by his collar, "Don't ever leave me again. Not now or ever again."

Michael looked over at both Max and Jim Valenti who nodded. Michael then reached into his pocket and brought out a black velvet box and opened it to reveal a diamond ring.

"Don't worry, that won't be happening."

Everyone in the room gasped.

Maria held a hand to her chest, feeling as though she might faint.

Michael then went on one knee and asked, "Will you?"

A million thoughts ran through Maria's head and she then turned to look at her mother, who simply smiled and nodded.

Maria turned back to Michael and she smiled.

"About time, 'Spaceboy'."

He gave his smart-ass, cocky, smile as he slid the ring on her finger and then got up and kissed her.

Liz punched Max in the arm, "You knew?"

Later, the group decided it would be ok if they spent one more night in Roswell, but this time they'd be on their guard more.

Looking at her ring, Maria's thoughts came back to haunt her. She then grazed her stomach with her fingers and again felt the warmth of her children.

Maria sighed. Maybe Laurie was right. Maybe this will turn out good after all and Maria could be happy for once and not have to question everything with uncertainty and pessimism.

* * *

A Greyhound Bus pulls up outside the city limits of Roswell, New Mexico and but three people get off, in the late afternoon. One of these is a man whose life has been shadowed for along time. Stepping off the bus, he takes a moment and breathes in the air. Smiling, he then crouches down and takes in the dusty dirt and rubs it between his palms. 

Dressed in a Levi vest, Long sun-kissed dirty brown hair, an ethnic tan, and covered in tribal tattoos on his well built arms; he stretches as he rises.

_It's been awhile, hasn't it, Roswell. Mi amore. _He thinks to himself.

Grabbing his duffel bag, he walks down five miles before he gets into town. He looks at the numerous landmarks of the city: The Crashdown Café, The UFO Center, and the Big Tom's Pizzeria.

He smiles.

_Well, Gael Fernando DeLuca, welcome home._

_**To be continued… **_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N**: To be honest, Kyle's power has yet to be defined. I know it seems a little weird for him to be able to manipulate structures, i.e. close Agent Barns' mouth over and break his vocal cords, already. I had planned prior to writing this about Liz training him to use his powers, but I found it hard to write in with what's been happening. So for that, I'm sorry.

**A/N II:** Laurie has a big part in the next chapter, so please don't call me out for not going in deep with her here. I promise, you won't want to miss what happens when her story gets the seven involved.

_**Q-n-P**_


	7. Father and Daughter

The DeLuca house was alive this night. Why wouldn't it be?

Michael Guerin has asked Maria DeLuca to marry him and she's said yes.

Jim and Kyle Valenti were over as were the Jesse and the Parker's. The only people unconnected, in a way, were Ava and Laurie Dupree.

The party was a huge feast along with toasting.

"I'd like to take this moment to toast these two young people. You two, are by far, the most interesting pair I've ever come across." Said Jim Valenti, "When I first met Michael, I was pulling him over for driving seventy in a thirty-five a mile an hour zone. You know what he said to me? "I can tell you where you can stick that ticket."."

This got a huge laugh from the group.

"Now, Maria," Jim continued, "When I met her I was convinced that her little aromatherapy things were, in fact, some kind of hallucinogen. She told me, "I'd have to be an alien to do be stupid enough to do that stuff."."

Again, the room filled with laughter.

Kyle groaned, "Dad, do you have ANY story of meeting someone that Doesn't involve trying to bust them?"

Michael looked at Maria, "Is that true? Did you really say that?"

Maria shook her head, "Yes, but I was twelve at the time and you and I were totally unaware of eachother."

"Ah." Michael replied and hugged Maria.

Just as Max was about to give a toast, a knock came from the door.

"I'll go get it." Said Kyle.

Max cleared his throat, "I just want to…" Max then noticed that everyone's attention was away from him. Turning to look, Max saw a tall, muscular man, with long hair, multiple tattoos, and dark skin.

Maria noticed that the people focusing the most on this person, mostly with dirty looks were Jeff and Jim.

Amy had came from the kitchen and was holding out a freshly made coconut cream pie, when she saw who was at the doorway and dropped it.

"Hello, desert rose." The man said to Amy.

Amy looked as though she was going to faint.

"Gael."

**Chapter Seven: Father and Daughter**

During dinner Maria couldn't but help but to feel uncomfortable.

Gael DeLuca, after a thirteen-year absence, had now returned. A man, to whom Amy had referred to as the worst mistake of her life, a man who had left her when she was seventeen years old, a year younger than Maria.

Gael was watching Maria with the utmost interest.

"So, How's my little muñquita, been doing?"

Maria, not looking at him, muttered, "Fine."

Everyone at the table had seemed to lose their spirit.

Both Jeff and Jim exchanged looks of anger about Gael being here.

As for the others, they didn't know what to think. The girls thought Gael was very attractive, Isabel thought he looked like one of those men on the cover of the Danielle Steele novels, but grundgier. While the guys just seemed to notice the quietness that seemed have been brought on by this man's arrival.

Kyle knew all about Gael, seeing as how his father used to play ball with the man in High School.

"Is it true that you used to hold the record for most field goal passes?" Kyle asked.

Gael laughed, "That was a long time ago. I'm sure your father would remember better than I would, right Jim?"

Jim didn't say anything, but instead kept his disapproving glare on this man.

"Anyways," Gael said, trying to change the subject, "What were you all celebrating before I came in here?"

Amy sighed, "Maria's engagement."

"Really?" He said, looking at a blushing Maria.

He nudged her, "So, whose the lucky man?"

Maria sighed out loud. She had really hoped that this evening would have turned out better, as it was going before her father arrived, seeing as it wasn't. She decided she could be a little courteous to the man.

"This is him, Dad. Michael, this is my dad, Gael."

Gael made a nod to him where as Michael turned back to the food he was eating.

Michael could tell he already didn't like this guy. For the fact that he had abandoned Maria and her mother and had made no explanation as to where he has been for over a decade. The other thing was, he reminded Michael too much of the men who tried out the role of parent for him.

"Michael…?" Gael asked.

"Guerin." Maria replied.

This made Gael's eyes lit up, "Guerin, as in Sam Guerin? Are you his kid?"

"I was adopted by him." Michael said, still not looking at him.

"How is ol' Sammy, he played ball with Jim and me all those years in High School too."

Jim sighed, "He's dead, Gael. Died of a heart attack twelve years ago."

Gael shrugged, "Should've stopped smoking. Sam loved his Marlboros. So, what do you do, Mr. Guerin?"

Michael was irritated when he was cornered by Amy by this but earned her trust and respect, later on. He REALLY did not want to go through this again.

"Michael's a traveling salesman." Said Maria. Michael looked at her with a "Are you serious?" look.

Gael stopped his question wile the others continued to eat, all the while looking at Michael with suspicion.

While the girls were in the kitchen helping with the dishes, the kids were outside talking, leaving the men to clear the table.

Both Jim and Jeff thought this would be the best time to talk to Gael.

"So what brings you back, Gael?" Jim asked.

Gael picking up the table's clothe, shrugged, while folding it.

"Something told me that I needed to get back here, and I was right. What father wouldn't be there when his little girl gets married."

"Why weren't you there for all the other times?" Jeff asked, "A father needs to be there, too, for his girl."

Gael sighed, "Look as much as I'd like to play "20 questions" with the both of ya, I've had a long day of traveling and would actually like to get some sleep." With that said he put the folded linen on the counter and walked around the corner to his old bedroom.

Jeff looked to Jim, "What do you think, Jim?"

Jim shook his head; "I don't like it. Gael has a reputation of being unclear about things and if he gets wind of what's going on, it might spell trouble for the kids."

"That and Maria being pregnant." Jeff concluded.

Jim nodded.

Jeff sat down at the table, as did Jim.

"So, what should we do about it?" He asked.

"Keep an eye on him, for one, second we should talk to the kids and make sure they know what kind of person they're dealing with."

As the two continued to talk, Gael, from around the corner, listened in intently.

In the kitchen, Maria watched her mother furiously cut at some vegetables for tomorrow's lunch.

"Mom? Mom!" Maria said, as she tried to get the blade away from her mother.

Amy sighed and she put both of her hands to her face as she shook her head.

"I'm Sorry, Maria. I'm sorry he's doing this to you."

Maria put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "It might not be so bad. I have a lot of questions for him."

Amy nodded, "So do I, sweety."

"All we have to do, is be calm and you let me finish cutting up those vegetables." Maria said as she took her mother's spot.

Amy smiled, looking at her daughter.

"Why are you so wonderful?"

Maria made a half-smile, "Please."

Amy hugged her, "You're going to make a great Mom, Maria."

* * *

Outside, Liz and Kyle were giving a little side to the three about Gael DeLuca.

Kyle told them all from what he had heard from his dad when the two of them played on the High School football team, while Liz told them what she knew about him from hearing from Amy.

None of this painted him in a clear picture.

Ava then came by and told the group she was going to drive Laurie home and would stay the night with her to make sure she was okay.

Michael gave his sister a hug, "Be safe." He told her.

"You too." She said and then said goodbye to everyone else as she got into the van with Ava and the two drove off.

It was getting late and Jesse told them he had promised the Evans that he would take Max and Isabel back to the house.

Once everyone had gone, Kyle and Michael looked up at the stars.

"Have you guys been thinking about Antar, lately?" Kyle asked.

Michael shrugged, "On and off. We've made our decision, though. We're going to stay here. This is our home."

Truth was, it had been a very long time since Michael, Max, or Isabel ever talked about their home planet. After Tess got killed, they thought it would be better to never talk about it again, though it was never decided. Everyone just dropped it completely.

"I'm going to see what my Dad's up too, so I'll catch you later." Kyle said.

"Later." Replied Michael.

As soon as Kyle was gone, Michael looked back up at the stars and wondered to himself if his biological parents were up there, wondering about him.

A loud cough from behind him had Michael turning and putting on his defenses.

Standing on the front porch with a beer in his hand, Gael DeLuca pointed at Michael.

"You like looking at the stars, I see."

"Who doesn't in this town." Michael said.

Gael nodded. He then put down his beer and strolled down over to Michael.

Michael did not like this at all.

"So," Gael said, "I hear I have more to congratulate you on than marrying my little girl."

Michael didn't answer him, but kept where he was.

Gael stood right next to him and looked up at the sky. "Nice night." He said.

Michael nodded.

"It must have been crazy for you to be living with ol' Sammy. Even though he was a good football player, he was the stupidest son of a bitch, on this planet." Gael said, still looking up at the night sky.

Michael had no comment. Sam wasn't perfect but he tried. It pained Michael when he was little to have to move in with Hank, after Sam's death. Michael really did not want to get into a battle of words over his deceased foster father.

Gael turned to him, "Good thing you're not like him, right?"

Michael sighed, "What do you want from me, Mr. DeLuca?"

"Nothin'. Just want to make sure my little girl is with someone who'll treat her good and not do anything stupid."

Michael started walking back to the house.

"Like get her pregnant before she was married." Gael said.

Michael turned around.

Gael walked up to him, "Yeah. I know all about it."

Michael was getting fed up with this and again turned to go back to the house, only to have Gael grab him on the shoulder and then push him to the ground.

"I've seen the way you and your friends talk, actin' like a bunch of people with secrets. I have them myself, but I've also seen blood on your clothes and that tells me you've been in a whole lot of trouble, trouble that you've gotten my daughter into. I know I've been away for awhile, but I'm still her father and I'm not so sure I want her to be with someone like you."

Michael glared at him, "Well that's not your choice is it?"

It was then that Gael punched Michael across the face.

"You must have been raised by Sam, cause you've got one hell of a mouth on you."

Michael struck back and the two, then fell to the ground kicking and punching eachother. Dust kicked up while they did.

Maria came out, hearing the noise, and she shouted.

"What are you two doing? Stop it! Stop it!"

Neither heard her as they continued their scuffle only until gunfire went off and they parted both breathing heavily.

Jim Valenti was standing on the front porch with Maria; he had his gun in the air.

"Michael get in the house, now." He said.

As Michael left, Gael got up.

"I'm not done with you, Michael Guerin." He said, following him.

Jim pointed his gun at Gael.

"Gael, stay where you are."

Once Michael and Maria were inside, Jim walked out to Gael.

"I don't know why Amy's letting our girl be with that trash." Gael said, dusting himself off.

Jim sighed, "That's Maria's decision, Gael. She's old enough. Michael's not a bad kid."

Gael scoffed, "Yeah, sure."

"Why are you here, Gael? I assumed when you left you left for good. Why come back? Amy's different, Maria's different, hell, this whole town is different."

Gael walked with him to the front porch and the two sat down as Gael took off his boots and shook the dirt out of them.

"Remember Petey and Dustin?" Gael asked.

Two men Jim hadn't heard about in a long time, both had played ball with Gael and Jim.

"Yeah."

"Well, their daddies' had started on this oil rig off of Texas and offered me a job. It paid well and I was gonna call Amy once I got started only the chief of the rig and I got off on a bad start and I was fired. I then joined the Army and did a tour in Desert Storm, only to get shot in the kneecap and having to come back. I've been working as a linecook until three days ago until I heard from some travelers that there was trouble in Roswell, so I thought I should come and make sure Amy and Maria were okay."

Jim put two fingers to his face as he tried to absorb all of this.

"Why didn't you call?" He asked.

Gael shrugged, "I thought people were getting along just fine without me."

* * *

The following day was the day everyone in the group had wished hadn't come. They would be leaving today. This afternoon was when they'd be leaving Roswell, once again.

Everyone, still within their masks, stopped in to the Crashdown Café for breakfast, the only ones who weren't here were Ava and Robert Tucker.

Upon arrival to Roswell, Robert had decided it would be safer if he was farther away from the group as possible, so he took a bus to Houston.

Ava was with Laurie; making sure things were all right with her.

Michael was tempted to call to make see if things WERE all right. But, he decided he needed the food more than anything; so, he would do it later.

New plans were to be made. They couldn't use the van anymore since the FBI knew what to look for. That, and Jesse made it abundantly clear that in no way was he going to be left behind, this time. Thus, they needed a different, more spacious, vehicle.

"We could always get another van, just a different make this time." Suggested Kyle.

"With so many people and our things, its gonna be cramped all the same." Said Isabel.

Michael was about to comment when his cell phone vibrated.

The group had gotten prepaid cell phones so they could ensure to be in contact with their families but never be traced by the FBI.

Upon answering it, Michael looked at the number and recognized it as Ava's.

"Are you almost here?" He asked.

"No," Ava replied, "Michael, we have a problem."

Michael stood up and the others watched him with worry.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Michael, I can't find Laurie."

* * *

Gael thought it was time to stop into the Crashdown, a place he hasn't been to for thirteen long years. It was here that he took Amy on their first dates, just before going to the Drive In to see movies.

It was nice to see that they updated the waitress' outfits to look more to the pop culture's idea of what aliens were.

Sitting down, he ordered the Tommy Lee Jones sandwich, and enjoyed his Coke.

Sitting next to him were a pair of old couple who were yammering away.

"I tell ya, Gladys, to drop it."

"But, Larry, I told ya I saw her here!" She begged.

Larry shook his head, "Honey, those kids wouldn't be that stupid to return to this town."

For some reason, this perked up Gael's interest and he decided to listen some more.

"Shouldn't we tell someone, though? I mean, they're wanted by the FBI, Larry! We have to tell someone."

Larry shook his head, "Nope. We aren't doing anything. Listen, Gladys, I don't know what you saw here, but it wasn't one of those kids. Now throw away that damn flier, we have to get to the hardware store before it closes."

The two then left, and Gladys, obeying her husband, threw away the flier in the trash, next to the exit of the Café.

Gael casually walked over and retrieved it and went back to his place just as his sandwich arrived.

He uncrumpled it and saw it was a wanted flier from the FBI, it had the faces of all the kids who were at Amy's. Maria was on there too.

Gael scowled seeing his daughter's picture on there and he gritted his teeth seeing Michael's.

_He's a good kid, you say, Jim?_

* * *

To the amazement of Max and Michael, Jesse, who seemed to be their vehicle provider, nowadays; came to a complete stop in front of them with a an old short school bus.

"You've got to be kidding me." Said Michael, looking at the thing.

Jesse shook his head as he tossed Max the keys.

"Nah, we need the room; and there is plenty for both us and our things."

Max laughed as he pointed at it, "Have you ever tried sleeping on a school bus?"

Jesse shrugged, "I didn't know comfort was one of the priorities."

Kyle grinned, "It isn't. But I can fix that, plus the fuel injection so we don't have to stop for gas every twenty miles."

Michael didn't like how much time this was taking, he needed to get back to Tucson and see what happened with Laurie.

He then called Maria and had her come pick him up in the much-remembered Jetta.

Since most of the guys: Kyle, Jesse, and Max went in to fix the bus, Isabel and Liz decided to come with Michael and Maria.

To some guys, going on a trip with a bunch of great looking girls, would be great, to Michael, however, this was a pain.

"You're driving too fast." Said Maria.

"Really, Michael, you're going to get us pulled over." Isabel agreed.

"Enough!" Michael shouted, "It took us almost two days to get there in this thing, the last time, ok?"

"Well, times have changed, 'Mikey', we have babies coming, and now we're not just three, but five people, telling you to slow down!" Maria said.

Michael grunted as he let off pressure from the gas, putting down to a safe seventy miles an hour.

Behind them, with his headlights off, Gael DeLuca reduced his speed as well.

* * *

Sitting in across from Sheriff Hanson, in the police station, Hanson seemed to notice Jim's recent agitation.

"What's going on, Jim?" He asked.

Jim sighed, "Nothing new. Just, family and friends stuff."

Hanson nodded, "Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

Jim nodded and Sheriff Hanson left to go on patrol.

After seeing him leave, Jim went up to his old office, Hanson's now, and reached up to the top siding of the door and retrieved his old spare key.

Getting inside, he quickly locked it and went to the computer.

Something about Gael returning didn't add up and neither was his story of his "life".

Kyle had told him all about how to use the internet when he was in his eight grade computer class, and it still boggled Jim's mind.

Going on to Google, Jim typed in Gael's name and only one thing popped up.

Clicking on it, it was a statewide bulletin for the state of Texas for the arrest Gael DeLuca.

The charges were posted for failure to report to his parole officer.

Kim shook his head, not being surprised in the least.

Deciding to dig a little deeper, Jim pulled up Gael's wrap sheet to see what he had been in for.

Seeing the charges, Jim quickly grabbed his phone and called Jeff.

"Hello?"

"Jeff, it's Jim. Where's Gael?" He asked.

"Sorry about that Jim. One of my kids went home sick so I was needed at the Crashdown. I don't know where he is."

Jim put a hand to his face.

"If you do see him again, call me." He then hung up and cursed as he left the Sheriff's office.

Still on the screen, was Gael's wrap sheet and under convictions were five words: Armed Robbery and First-Degree Murder.

* * *

To Michael's amazement they had actually arrived a lot sooner than predicted.

The lights were on inside the house and it seemed to be quiet.

Michael rang the buzzer and the doors opened the four then proceeded inside.

Ava was outside by the two doors.

"Thank God you're here, I've looked through the house and I can't seem to find her!"

Michael grabbed hold of her, "Ava, calm down. Did you check her grandfather's bunker?"

Ava looked confused, "Bunker?"

Michael sighed and gave a brief history as he led the way. Maria stayed inside as she felt her cell ring.

"Hello?"

"Maria?" It was Brody.

"Hi, Brody, what is it?" She replied as Isabel waited for her.

"No, it's Larek."

Maria walked away and into the kitchen, "Larek?"

Isabel, even though she was away had good hearing and she heard Larek's name. She followed and stood by the doorway of the kitchen as Maria continued her conversation.

"How did you get this number, Larek?" She asked.

"This vessel had it in his hand as I was trying to find you, but couldn't. It's such a strange devise but it has it's purpose since your name was on it."

Maria nodded and decided it would be best to get down to finding out more about her supposed ill fated, birth giving.

"Did you find out anything…good?" She asked.

On the other end, there was a sigh.

"We're having difficulty because we don't have a human female subject to research with."

Maria groaned, "If you didn't find anything new, then why are you calling me?"

There was a pause.

"To give you a proposal. Why don't you and General Rath come to see my scientists and me on our planet? That way we can help control the birthing process."

Maria froze. Was she being asked what she thought she was?

"Go to your planet?" Maria repeated.

"Yes." Larek said.

"Wha…I'm sorry, is there any other way?"

Larek sighed, "It might take a very long time to give you an answer. Possibly longer than the day you're due to give birth."

Maria thought long and hard, but she knew this wasn't a decision to made only by her.

"I'll have to talk to the good 'General Rath' and get back to you, Larek." She said.

"I'll try to use this body tomorrow, please have an answer by then." The phone then hung up.

Maria closed her phone and held it to her.

She jumped when Isabel put a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, my God! Please, don't do that."

Isabel crossed her arms, "What was that whole talk about going to Larek's planet?"

* * *

By the time they had gotten to the bunker, they saw a light coming from inside, Michael had also found the door to it to be locked.

"Laurie?" He called.

The two of them saw her head pop up from the window and then come back down again.

They then heard some rustling in the metal and then the door opened.

"Are you alright, Laurie?" Michael asked.

Laurie shook her head.

Inside the bunker were some lit candles and a couple of Army surplus food opened and scattered around. Her Grandfather's books were opened as well.

Michael sat down on the bed next to her, "What happened?"

She pointed outside, "I saw them. Watching me in a van when I went out to get the mail. One…one of them had a gun."

"Why didn't you come to get me? I could have handled them." Ava said.

Laurie just continued to look at the floor, she sighed. "I'm sorry. I…I just had to get out of that house."

Ava shrugged, "No biggie, I'm just happy to see you're ok."

Liz nodded and helped Laurie up, "Why don't we, draw you a bath and get some real food in ya. Pizza, sound okay?"

Laurie smiled and nodded.

* * *

Gael watched from the car as Michael along with Jeff's kid brought in that quiet girl he met only briefly at the party, into the mansion like house.

He had no idea of what was going on here and he couldn't care less. The only plan he had in mind was to get Maria as far as away from Michael Guerin as soon as possible.

* * *

After stopping at Amy's only to find he wasn't there, Jim then found the rest of the group at the junkyard hard at work on a short school bus.

Max was the first to see Jim.

"Mr. Valenti, what brings you here?"

Jim looked around, "Are Michael and Maria here?"

Max shook his head as Kyle and Jesse came up to join them.

"Have you tried his cell?" Asked Max.

Jim nodded, "I have but it seems to be busy. Have any of you talked to either him or Maria?"

Jesse nodded, "Isabel and Liz went with them to Laurie's house. It seems she's being stalked by someone."

"Great more trouble." Jim groaned.

"What else is there?" Asked Kyle.

Jim then went to explain about how he did a little research on Gael DeLuca to find out he had skipped on his call to his parole officer and was in New Mexico, illegally.

"Not only that," Jim continued, "He was arrested for robbing a bank and murdering a woman."

Max and the others looked at eachother, alarmed.

Jesse quickly got out his cell, he then put it away.

"The damn battery's dead."

Max brought out his and proceeded to call Michael.

Only to find it went straight to the answering machine.

"They must not be getting any service, for some reason." He concluded.

Jim nodded and got back into his suv and called into the station and gave a full description of Gael DeLuca.

* * *

Both Isabel and Maria were sitting at the table, Maria trying to drink some water as she explained to Isabel about the terms of her pregnancy.

"According to Larek, this has never happened before. No Antarian has ever knocked up someone outside their own race."

Isabel nodded, but was surprised about all of this.

Maria continued, "His scientists are baffled. Larek says they need more time, time that may go past the day that I either die or live after giving birth." She then swallowed some more water and looked Isabel in the eyes, "The only other option is, that Michael and I would have to go to his planet. Only that way, Larek can guarantee that I'll survive giving birth."

Isabel looked at the table trying to think of a best possible response to something like this. But she couldn't.

Just then, Michael, Liz, and Laurie had came in.

Maria saw Laurie and she got up and gave her a hug, "There you are! We've been worried about you! Are you ok?"

Laurie shook her head, "No, but I will be."

Liz was on the phone ordering pizza, while Max sat at the table and noticed Isabel chewing at her finger tips, something she only does when she's worried about something.

"Isabel? Is something the matter?"

Isabel looked up and finally noticed that everyone was there, she quickly put her hands to her lap.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Everything fine. Is everything fine?" She asked Laurie.

* * *

Jim along with Max and Jesse were about fifteen miles from Tucson and Jim hated when these kids were right. Jim had wanted to call the local PD and have them put a car at Laurie's place but Max told him not to, due to the fact that those FBI fliers would cause something not wanted.

Looking at Max, Jim marveled at the fact how cool he seemed to be and how focused under whatever circumstance same his way, something Jim was sure he would never be able to do.

After all the things that have happened to them, these kids, having eachother, was their greatest weapon. Being there for eachother, caring for eachother; nothing alien or human about it. It was just natural.

* * *

Gael noticed he wasn't the only one who had interest in the house and it's occupants. Parked up farther from him, a man sitting inside a silver Oldsmobile, was talking on his cell. When the conversation had finished, he came out of his car and screwed on a silencer to his gun.

Gael watched him walk closer and closer to the house.

Getting out of his car, quietly, Gael came up behind the man and snapped his neck. He then laid him gently on the ground and picked up the gun.

Gael put the gun behind him, beneath his pants.

He was only going to use this as a forceful nature, in case Michael would try to do anything that prevented Gael and Maria from leaving. After all, the kid did pack quite the wallop.

Gael watched as a third vehicle came, this one was a pizza delivery car, judging by the sign that was lit and resting on the top.

The pizza guy went to the gate and rang the buzzer.

Soon, the gate opened and the pizza guy came in, as did Gael.

Michael brought out a twenty and handed it to the driver, just as he was pushed back by Gael.

"Hey, Michael. Long time no see."

Michael clenched his fist, "What do you want and what are you doing here?"

Gael shrugged as he came in and looked around, "I thought we should continue our little conversation. Nice place, whose is it?"

"My sister's." Michael replied, following in step to Gael as he walked around. Michael noticed a bulge coming from the lower back of Gael's that oddly enough, resembled a gun.

Gael laughed, "Was that, that little quiet blonde at the table back at Amy's? Damn, looks like she got everythign right from her family and made out ok, too."

The two of them came into the kitchen were the others were and Maria, who was sitting on the counter top, got off and looked questioningly at Michael.

She then turned back to her father, "What are you doing here?"

Gael smiled, "I was worried about you, kid. So, I followed you here and wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine, we're fine, actually." She said.

"You hear that? We're all fine. So, if you don't mind…" Michael began, only to be cut off when Gael walked towards Maria.

"Maria, can I speak with you for a minute, outside?" He asked.

Maria shrugged and led him to the doors that went out to the pool.

Michael turned to the other three.

"He has a gun."

"What?" Liz asked.

Isabel grabbed Michael's shoulder has he was making his way to where Maria and Gael went, "Michael! What are you going to do?"

"Nothing. Let me handle this." Jim walked past them and out to the doors, behind him were Max and Jesse who went to Liz and Isabel.

"He killed someone outside." Jesse said.

Michael sighed, "I guess we know how he got that gun." He then turned to Laurie, "I think you can rest easy without that guy around."

Laurie nodded.

Jesse looked to her, "Why was there someone after you."

While Laurie talked to Jesse about her aunt and uncle, Michael proceeded to the doors, only to be stopped again, this time by Max.

"Michael, what are you going to do?"

"Valenti doesn't know about the gun Gael has, we have to stop him."

Max shook his head, "We can't it'll only make the situation worse with Maria there. He won't shoot at Jim, Michael. They seem to have too much history together."

Every fiber in his being wanted to go out there and protect Valenti and Maria, yet his stupid senses told him that Max was right.

* * *

"Maria, I want the two of us to go on a road trip together, you know. Get to know eachother."

Maria stood uncomfortably by the poolside watching her father.

"You know I can't do that." She said.

"Why not? Fathers and their daughters do it all the time. This would mean a lot to me and for your mother I'm sure. I know you have a lot of questions to ask me as do I." Gael said, walking forward.

"Like to why you're wanted by the Texas police for skipping out of state?"

Gael turned around and saw Jim Valenti walking towards him.

"Jim, I'm just trying to talk to my girl, please leave us alone." Gael said, putting a hand out.

"Maria, your father left your mother to rob a bank with two of his buddies, Peter Jones and Dustin Kiley. They killed a woman along the way. Your father's been in prison until recently."

Maria looked to her father, "Is that true? You killed someone?"

Gael laughed, "Boy Jim, you sure are the 'ice breaker' aren'tcha?"

"Maria, get in the house, Gael, I'm going to have to place you under arrest." Jim said walking forward while taking off his handcuffs.

Gael then grabbed Maria and took out the gun from behind him and pointed it at Jim.

"What are you doing!" Mara shouted.

"I'm sorry, mi angel, but no way am I going to let some stupid, little punk, like Michael; take you away. Jim, back off and let us through." Gael said and Jim did as he was told, walking backwards.

From the corner of Jim's eye, as they had gotten inside the house, he saw Michael, Max, Isabel, and Liz with their palms held out. Jim smiled.

"Just what do you plan to do, Gael? You know I'm going to call you in and have your vehicle reported."

Gael shrugged, "We'll change cars then, it don't matter. Both you and Amy let Maria screw her life up and I'm going to change that."

As soon as they were inside, Gael suddenly felt the gun go flying from his hand. Maria got out of his grasp and then Gael was flung across the room and hit the door of the kitchen in the process.

He was knocked out cold.

* * *

Laurie was with Jim as the local police came to take away Gael DeLuca.

Maria and the others decided to play it safe and hide out in the bunker.

While Max, Isabel, and Liz looked in wonder at Charles Dupree's journal about his experience and close encounter with Antarian beings, Maria looked at Michael and thought to herself.

In no way do I want to end up like my Dad. Making excuses for everything, not to be honest to anyone, not even to my own kids.

Maria touched her belly, with that thought. She then sat down next to Michael.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I've been talking to Larek." She said.

The other three dropped what they had been doing and sat down across from the others.

"Larek?" Max asked.

Maria nodded.

"Why were you talking to Larek?" Michael asked.

Maria sighed, "Well, he came to me, actually. He had found out through Brody that I was pregnant with your children. General Rath's children."

Maria took a deep breath. "There's a problem, Michael. Larek told me that there is no record of Antarians getting Earth girls pregnant, nor any other race, for that matter. He tells me that both him and his scientists have come to the conclusion that…"

Maria looked to the floor, wondering if this was such a good idea to tell him.

"What? What did they say?" Asked Liz.

"That I might die from giving birth to our kids." Maria then looked up at Michael.

His face was blank, but that was understandable since Michael was never an easy read as to how he was feeling.

Michael got up and began pacing, "Does Larek have any solutions to prevent this?"

Maria nodded, "Option A, is that we'd have to wait for him and his team to come up with an alternative, but there's a problem with that. He told me he doesn't know when he could get an answer to me, that it could take as long as past the date I'm supposed to give birth."

"What's the other option?" Asked Max.

Maria swallowed hard and she closed her eyes, "That Michael and I would go to Larek's planet to give birth. Larek says it'd be the only way, for now, to ensure that I survive."

The room grew quiet. Liz sat down next to Maria and hugged her while Max and Isabel looked to Michael to see what he would say.

Michael found himself stopping and he leaned back against the door of the bunker and started repeatedly banging his head against it.

"Michael, stop!" Isabel said.

Michael slumped down to the ground and buried his face in his hands.

Since Michael wasn't talking, Max looked to Maria, "When does Larek need an answer by?"

"Tomorrow." Maria answered.

Michael still had his face in his hands, not saying or giving way to any movement.

* * *

Jesse had called up Kyle and told him to bring the bus here, while Laurie showed Liz, Jim, and Maria to their rooms.

Michael, max, and Isabel were still in the bunker, sitting on the cots.

When no one had said anything for little over thirty minutes, Isabel decided to break it and turned to Michael.

"What are you going to do, Michael Guerin?"

Michael smirked, "What else. Can't have Maria dying on me. I guess I'm going up." He motioned his finger at the ceiling.

"That doesn't seem to be the only thing troubling you." Max said.

Michael sighed, "What if something happens to you guys and I'm not around to back you up, what then?"

Isabel grinned, "You know, having you around twenty-four seven, is something I can live without."

Max grinned as well, "Yeah, and since when did we need you so much."

Michael rolled his eyes, "Seriously. What if I'm not here to help you out of a tight jam. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to either of you."

"Nor to Maria, I imagine." Commented Isabel. "You need her as well. I'm not going to like it when you're gone, but Michael, you need to do this for her."

Max nodded, "I'd do it for Liz."

Michael grinned, "Now, there's a shocker."

The three then left the bunker and returned to the house and went to their separate rooms to be with their others, each alien-human hybrid having something to reflect on his or her mind.

As Michael slipped into bed, Maria turned her head to look at him.

"Hey. Is everything okay? You guys were out there for a long time."

Michael nodded and kissed her on the forehead.

"Everything's fine. We'll talk in the morning. Get some sleep."

Maria nodded sleepily and turned her head and gradually fell back asleep.

_**To be continued…**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N**: I may have been mistaken about this, but, I thought it was General Rath or is it Commander Rath? Not sure, let me know which one it is, it'll be helpful.

**A/N II**: Let the comments keep on coming! They're helping me write this so the more comments mean the faster these babies are coming out! (not literal as in with what's in Maria, mind you.)

**A/N III:** Before I'm attacked with this, let me assure you that Amy will talk to her estranged husband in the next chapter, for it is a key in the story line.

**_Q-n-P_**


	8. Departure

As Amy DeLuca was escorted to the visitor's room, her mind was filled with every vindictive thought she was going to say to her husband.

After learning from Jim Valenti of what her husband did in the past and the fact he was going to attempt to kidnap Maria, Amy had no thought of keeping a civil mind when she was going to talk to Gael.

Going past others who were talking with an inmate, Amy finally came to a stop, halfway to the end of the row, where Gael awaited behind the glass.

Setting down her purse, she sat in the cold metallic chair and grabbed the phone as Gael did likewise.

In his orange jumpsuit, with his long hair tied back behind his head, Gael made no attempt of welcoming such as smiling or any sort.

"Hello, Amy." He said, somberly.

Amy didn't speak, whatever she had in her was holding back the barking dogs in her mind, and she just sat there looking at him with a penetrating stare.

"I know talking to me was the last thing you wanted to do, and I appreciate you coming here."

He then shifted in his seat and then leaned forward.

"I hope Maria turns out to be as strong as you are."

Amy's voice cracked as she spoke; "Don't you dare say her name."

Gael nodded, "Alright. I just want you to know I never intended on harming her. I just wanted Michael out of her life."

Amy didn't say anything else she just looked at Gael with absolute hatred.

A man came up behind Gael.

"Mr. DeLuca, talk anymore and it'll cut into the time with your lawyer."

Gael nodded and turned back to Amy, who was grabbing her purse.

"Enjoy your time here, Gael." She then hung up the phone and left.

Gael sighed and shook his head.

He had really hoped that would have gone a lot smoother, that he could have Amy realize that in no way would he want to have made her angry nor give her any thought as to him hurting Maria.

A sharp looking man, dressed in a business suit replaced Amy's vacated seat as Gael looked up, again.

"Hi, Mr. DeLuca. How've you been?"

Gael laughed, "I'm back here, again, aren't I? How do you think I'm doing?"

The man shrugged, "You got to see your daughter again, from what I heard. So, you must be happy, otherwise."

Gael shook his head, "Guess again."

Gael looked at the man who had came to see him only four days ago. The man who offered to get him out. Get him out and make sure he never would have to come back here.

Gael pointed a finger at the man, "You told me that I wouldn't be back here. That I'd be a free man."

The man nodded, "That's true. I also told you about your daughter's relationship to a wanted man. Told you you'd better stop it before she gets into any real danger. I guess we both failed to do what we promised."

Gael then stood up and leaned forward, "You didn't answer me the last time, but now I'd like an answer. How is it that you know so much about my family?"

The other man lifted up his hand and Gael starred at it.

Then a blinding flash of light came and Gael was hurled to the floor, not moving.

The other man stood up and shouted, "Guard! Guard! I think Mr. DeLuca needs medical attention!"

While the guards and medical came attended to Gael DeLuca, no one noticed as the unknown man slipped away out the doors.

**Chapter Eight: Departure**

None had spoken when they had returned back to Roswell yesterday and today was no exception.

Kyle and Jesse had been informed about what was taking place with Michael and Maria's decision to go to Larek's planet to give birth.

No one was initially opposed to it, seeing as how they knew it was Maria's best chance of survival, However, no one really liked it all the same.

Amy was really against it for a number of reasons, the thought of her daughter going gallivanting across the universe made her head spin.

"We'll take plenty of pictures, Mom." Maria said, trying to soften up the mood.

But to no avail unfortunately.

The only other person against the idea, was Laurie.

She was certain that something else might happen to her and Michael wouldn't be there to protect her.

To this, Michael came up with a solution.

"There are a lot of good people in this town who would risk their lives for the people they care about." He told her, outside of Amy's place. He nodded towards the house, "Amy being one of them. Listen, I told you before that I'm not an optimist, but that doesn't mean that I'm a complete pessimist, either. These people here would look after you, and help you with whatever comes along."

Laurie looked away.

Michael put two hands on her shoulders, "I'm coming back. We're coming back. I'm not going to live on some other planet, I've already made up my mind about that. I want to be here with my family and friends, and you're one of them."

Laurie then gave Michael an abrupt huge hug, which nearly knocked him off balance. He returned it.

"Promise?" She asked.

Michael smiled, "Promise."

Sitting over by Kyle and Liz, Maria watched Michael and Laurie and smiled.

She knew that Michael had a lot of reasons to come back here, so many people he could never abandon, thus this might turn out easier than she had thought.

Liz squeezed her hand, "What'cha thinkin' about?"

Before Maria could answer, Brody was walking towards them.

Both Maria and Michael went to him, followed by the others.

Maria knew it was always better to play it safe, "Brody?'

Brody shook his head, "Larek. I assume you two have made up your minds?"

They nodded and Michael stepped forward.

"We're going to go to your planet."

Brody smiled, "Excellent. I'll have transport have a ship awaiting you in the desert a little south of here. It's going to materialize, so don't worry about having to look up in the sky for it. It should arrive to your planet at when the sun sets. My assistant chief scientist, Mar'di, will be within and will take you to my home. Be safe, until then."

Maria and Michael nodded.

Brody then went back to the car he came in and drove off.

Amy watched as Brody had driven off, or rather, Larek had driven off and she sighed. It had been done. Now, her girl and Michael were soon going to be playing astronauts and be even farther from her than they were before.

Amy sighed; nothing was ever to be simple, again.

She remembered the only thing that had troubled her was that Maria was dating a guy whom Amy disliked; those seemed like simpler times, then. Or, when Amy was dating Jim Valenti and bother Maria and her had their little quarrels about it,

Amy really missed those.

Just now, Michael had come in along with his human sister Laurie.

"Miss DeLuca, I have a question to ask you." He said.

* * *

In an Unknown settlement, Agent Veronica Kern, along with several other FBI Agents, walk along a steeled, metallic path to room where a man was gagged and bound.

Agent Kern stood in the room and nodded to the other agents to leave.

She then brought over a chair and placed it before the man as she sat down.

"We've been looking for you for quite some time. It's really a shame we couldn't be more accommodating to you, but considering what you did, you leave us with little option."

She undid his blindfold and looked at him in the eyes, "With what these teens did to Agent Barns leads no room for error and Intend to see to just that. Thus, you're going to cooperate with us. Robert."

* * *

The group had wondered what was planned since this would be the last day Maria and Michael were to be on Earth, at least for awhile.

Thoughts were brought up as going to Roswell High, to spend a day there as if it were the old days. Going to the movies was a second, as to maybe attend a party, as well.

In the end, Both Michael and Maria liked the idea of possibly spending times outdoors.

Max was eager to show Ava their pod chamber, since he had seen her's in New York.

Liz wanted to spend time with Maria, to maybe fantasize about where her new destination will take her.

Michael thought it might be fun for some outdoor sports, such as flag football or baseball, all to which Kyle was in favor of.

From the early afternoon on, the group stayed out in the desert and played their sports while others took others to the Pod Chamber. Mainly it was Max, Isabel, Liz, Maria, Jesse, Ava, and Laurie.

Upon entering, Jesse let out a loud whistle.

"Man. You guys were born here?"

Max nodded, "Back in 1947, although, it took us until 1989 to emerge and when we did we were six years old."

Laurie walked up and felt the soft membrane of the shell that had held Isabel.

"Do any of you have memories of what it was like to grow in these things?"

Isabel shook her head, "Not really. The only thing we remember is coming out of these."

This was the third time that Liz and Maria had been in here, to them, though, it held more of a negative memory. This chamber had been introduced to the group by Tess and with her held the memory of their lost friend Alex.

Ava looked at these and it brought to her, as well, nothing of a positive thought. Zan having been associated with the pods from New York.

She remembered, quite vividly, of him helping her up, as they were the first to emerge from the sacs and into their New World.

A tear came to Ava's eye as the memories pressed upon on her the more.

* * *

Jim Valenti was feeling his usual nervous vibe as he parked outside of Amy DeLuca's driveway.

Coming on over to help with the party for Michael and Maria's going away, far away, trip; he stumbled as came into the entry way and saw Amy looking radiant.

He was a grown man, he knew, and acting like a fumbling teenager was ridiculous. But everytime those eyes of hers and that smile aimed his way, he felt as if he'd been deprived of oxygen.

Amy smiled as she saw him come in, "Hey, Jim."

"H-H-Hey, Amy." He replied.

There have been plenty of instances where they've been romantically inclined, but when Gael had came back, Jim thought that this was the end of the line as far as him pursuing anything with Amy DeLuca.

However, putting Gael back into prison not only brought those chances back, it also brought back the anxiety Jim had felt whenever he was around her.

Jim really wished that he could get his act together and have Amy in his life more and more.

Jim put the thought far behind him and helped Amy blow balloons and put up streamers.

Laurie soon came in followed by Kyle.

"What's all this?" Asked Kyle.

"A little going away party for Michael and Maria." Said Amy.

Laurie was a little confused, "They are coming back, right?" She looked at Kyle.

"Of course they are." Said Jim, "But still, a party's a party. Kyle, you wanna give me a hand with these chairs?"

As Kyle went to help his father, Laurie went over and helped Amy with the decorating of the large cake she had ordered.

* * *

As Robert Tucker was rapidly being hit across the face, two faces came to his mind. Those of his ex-wife Helen and their daughter April.

The biggest mistake he ever made, he felt, was choosing his career over his family. He vowed that if he ever got out of here alive he would do everything he could to see those two faces, again.

Agent Kern held up a hand, "Enough."

She then walked up to him, "Well, Agent? Where are the teens?"

Robert looked up at the short, brown-haired woman and shook his head.

"I…I don't know. Th-They travel…a lot."

Agent Kern knew that that was true. Being on the road was the only way these kids were able to keep themselves from ever being caught.

However, she wasn't totally convinced that Agent Tucker was being forthright when he had said, "he didn't know".

* * *

Amy's party had turned out to be a big one.

As usual, all the families of those related to the group were there, and to a surprise, especially to the group, Brody had arrived as well, as himself.

Amy's cake was that of a chocolate with a raspberry filling covered in a lemon, honey, frosting. On top was a spaceship and on the cake was lettering that said, "Bon Voyage Michael and Maria to planet birth!"

This had received a chuckle by everyone.

During the party, Michael had asked Max what he and the others planned to do, while he and Maria were going "up".

Max actually had yet to discuss this with the group, "I was actually thinking of us paying a visit to Cal, in Los Angeles."

"Is that such a great idea, Maxwell? If memory serves me right, first he tried to kill you, tried to break every bone in your body, and then was completely reluctant to have anything to do with any of us and wanted to be alone." Michael said.

Max shrugged, "Well, he has yet to meet the others and…"

Everyone looked at Max who was looking out the window.

He then got immediately up and went out the door, followed in step by the others.

Upon exiting, the group found Max was standing in front of Rath.

All hands were extended outwards; Liz's being the only one illuminated as it crackled with energy.

Rath put two hands out in front of him, "Whoa! Whoa! I'm not here to rumble with youse!"

Max, who was the only one who hadn't had his hand out, approached cautiously, "What do you want?"

Rath scratched at his eyebrow.

"I need your help. It's Lonnie."

Everyone slowly lowered his or her hands.

"What about her?" Asked Max.

Rath sighed and went to a pick up truck and he opened the passenger door to reveal Lonnie, her face covered in blood and her eyes that had the look of horror upon them.

Both Amy and Jim were the first to realize that there were fewer people there and soon found the kids outside.

Jim was startled to see another Michael, as did Amy.

Amy was about to ask what was happening when she saw Max and the Michael look-a-like take a girls body out of a truck and lay it on the ground.

Seeing the girl's expression, and the blood, had Amy holding her hand to her mouth in shock.

Jim left Amy and went to Michael.

"What happened?" He asked.

Michael didn't answer. Seeing his dupe along with Isabel's was making him nervous. He felt like something was going to happen.

Before Max did anything, he turned to Rath.

"After all you two did, why should I heal her?"

Rath sighed, "I knew you guys weren't going to be cool about this, but here's the deal. After you guys whooped our asses and split, Khivar came."

No one spoke. Only Isabel could feel a shudder by that name.

Rath continued, "Lonnie here begged the S.O.B. to take her with him back to Antar, only the maestro didn't want that. Lonnie doesn't take no for an answer. Anyways, Khivar puts her down easy by bashing her to pieces. He nearly had me drowning in that stupid pond."

Michael then went forward, "Where is he now?"

Rath shrugged, "Dunno, said something about some DeLuca guy and then he split."

Something very cold entered Jim Valenti's mind as he processed what Rath had said. He then turned to the others.

"I got a call from the prison where Gael was sent, today. They told me he had died of a heart attack as of yesterday."

Maria held a hand to her mouth and Amy looked flushed with fear. Amy then quickly went back inside the house.

Jim went after her as the others still stood in shock.

Max had made up his mind. He then walked over to Lonnie and rested his hand on her head and closed his eyes.

While Max, Isabel, Liz, and Ava were outside with Lonnie and Rath, Everyone else had come back inside to the party.

Amy, however, was in her room with Jim as he was cradling her as she was crying.

Looking at the sun, outside on the front porch, Maria smiled as she saw it setting.

Michael standing next to her squeezed her hand.

Brody, who was curious as to why they were watching the sun setting outside, when it was particularly cold, when he came out to meet the two.

Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed.

"Are you two ready?" He asked.

Michael looked to Maria and then to Brody.

"Larek?" Maria asked.

Brody nodded, "Say your good-byes, now. We have to get going. I'll take you to where the ship's at."

Both nodded and went back inside.

Maria went to her mother's room and knocked on the door.

There was a pause before Jim opened it and Maria went to her mother who was blowing her nose.

"Mom, I'm leaving now."

Amy breathed in and nodded she then got up and followed her daughter out to where Michael was.

She hugged Michael, "Please, please, look after her. She's in your hands, now."

Michael sighed, "I will."

"Both of you, be careful. I won't be there to help, you know." Said Jim.

Both nodded.

Going back outside, they were met by the rest of the group who each hugged Michael and Maria and bid them good luck.

Max and Isabel were the last.

"Michael, please keep good care of yourself." Said Max.

"Maxwell…." Michael groaned.

Isabel hugged him fiercely and put her hands on his face, "Come back to us soon, both of you." She then hugged Michael again and hugged Maria as well.

Brody was waiting further outside made a coughing sound.

"We're coming!" Michael shouted. He then waived his hand and took Maria's and the two then followed Brody out into the desert.

* * *

Rath and Lonnie watched in surprise to see the whole group make such a big deal about Rath's twin and that girl leave.

"What's that all about?" Lonnie asked Rath.

Rath shrugged, "Don't know."

They watched as the group made their way back to them.

"So, what happens now?" Asked Isabel to Max, looking over the two.

"And what about Khivar?" Inquired Kyle.

Ava groaned, "I wish Zan were here. He'd know what to do."

"Yeah right, he'd ignore the whole thing and let all of us be pulverized." Said Rath.

Ava glared at him, "I'm never going to forgive you for icing him."

Lonnie then let out a big laugh.

It gave Isabel the chills, "What's so funny."

Lonnie then nudged Rath, "Should we?"

Rath shrugged, "Seeing as how we're stuck on this planet, why not."

Max was confused, "What's going on?"

Rath gave a cocky smirk, "Our boy ain't dead."

* * *

As Maria and Michael followed, Michael continually squeezed Maria's hand.

Maria smiled. She had absolutely no idea what they were going to; yet, she was comfortable being beside Michael. He was letting her know he was still there over and over again.

They walked for a little over ten minutes until they had come to a clearing, it was then that Brody stopped and turned around.

Behind him a large black object appeared.

Bot Michael and Maria stood back in shock, seeing the size of the object.

It looked like a jagged piece of molten rock, roughly the size of a double-decker bus.

It had a hallowed point at the end, and despite it's surface, appeared, in the setting sun's light, to be relatively smooth.

There was a hiss and an oval shape appeared with a symbol that looked like two "v"s with a wave line in between them. This symbol illuminated and the shape slid into the surface and exposed the inside of the vessel.

Brody extended a hand towards the ship.

Michael took a deep breath as both he and Maria walked inside.

"Greeting General Rath."

Both turned to see a person who had a gray skin complexion with white, frizzled hair at the back. Its eyes were a pale-bluish color.

"I am Mar'di and I bid you welcome from Larek."

Despite their shock, Maria and Michael nodded.

Mar'di held out his hand, "Please, this way."

He led them past and into the back where the whole innards of the ship seemed to have the same color as the outside. There were various tables with numerous lights that flickered on and off that resorted in different hues.

Mar'di continued to take them in until they came through a doorway that led them to a bedroom.

The bed itself had colors that continually changed. To Maria, it looked like a lava lamp.

"Please, rest." Mar'di then took out a black oval shaped object and broke it open with his hands. He then began to explain.

"This is a Numark Stone. Within it are the gasses that contain the sulfuric elements that are in our atmosphere. She will have to adjust for her lungs to be used to them upon arrival. There will be oxygen in this room as well as other medicated needs, which she will absorb upon breathing. General Rath, you won't have as much difficulty as she will, considering your alien physiology won't. No, what is your name?" He asked Maria.

"Maria." She answered.

Mar'di nodded, "Maria, this will hurt as it progresses and your lungs learn to have it within it's system. But, that'll pass as soon as we get there. I must admit, we'll be traveling rather slowly, than normal. With the entire dispute that's been raging on with the five planets, we're going to be quite discreet. Having a member of the royal four on board will get a lot of questioning and we're going to try or best not to be discovered by spies of Khivar."

Michael nodded; it sounded sensible.

"We'll be taking off in just a few minutes, please make yourselves comfortable. Call me on that devise if you need anything."

Mar'di indicated to a panel next to the bed that had a red button along with some more cryptic writing.

"Thank you." Michael said.

Mar'di nodded and headed out of the doorway.

Michael lay on the bed with Maria and turned to her.

"How're you doing?"

Maria shrugged, "It's not so bad, so far. It's like tying to breathe in a room with a lot of smoke."

Michael could feel that too, as the fumes from the stone seemed to go all over the room.

They found the entire area to be rumbling and both looked behind them, out a window of some sort, and watched as they lifted off the ground.

Roswell seemed to grow fainter and then New Mexico. Soon, they watched as they saw the large mass, which was Earth become big and then grow increasingly fainter as they flew off into the unknown.

_**To be continued…**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N**: I hope it didn't seem too predictable with what was revealed by Lonnie and Rath. Also that it came out right. I was having some trouble with the FBI storyline, but I promise to make it more engaging within the next chap. Also, I apologize for this being as short as it is. This is more of a build up and you'll all get you've been wanting within the next chaps. I promise.

**A/N II**: Much appreciation to those who have reviewed. Keep Em coming guy! They help make this go much faster.

_**Q-n-P**_


	9. Information

By the time they had passed Saturn, Maria was having difficulty and Michael was beginning to get concerned.

She has hacking a lot and eventually coughed up some blood.

Mar'di tried his best to assure Michael that this would be normal and that her lungs were just getting used to the air.

Looking out the porthole window, Michael just shook his head, wondering if at all if this was the right move to make.

They were told they were about three hours away from arriving at Dior, which was outside of the Milkyway galaxy and in the spiral galaxy.

Michael returned to the bed and sat next to Maria who had finally gotten to sleep and was breathing a little easier.

Snuggling up close, Michael reached over and brought her closer to him as his thoughts went back to the others who were behind on Earth.

**Chapter Nine: Information**

As the hours passed, they soon found themselves starring, through the porthole, at a red planet. The clouds of it turning more at a horizontal rotation rather than spiraling as on Earth.

Michael had dimly remembered about something of turbulence that the space shuttle experiences upon reentering the Earth's atmosphere. But, when they descended into Dior's, the trip was very smooth, as if floating down to the surface.

Maria had awakened and looked with Michael as the terrain came into view.

Strange and exotic fields of unidentifiable colors came into view. To Maria this place would have given any Renaissance artist a run for their money.

They seemed to be traveling for over 500 miles across the surface, until finally they came to a stop in front of a large structure.

* * *

Ava was dumbstruck by the news she had heard. 

Zan…alive?

She knew this wasn't true. She saw him fall and get clobbered by that semi.

Sitting outside of Amy DeLuca's, with the others. Rath and Lonnie were drinking some sodas provided by Amy as Max and Isabel discussed to themselves quietly.

"Max, we can't trust them." Isabel said in a hushed tone.

Max scratched the back of his head, trying to think of any means as to believe their duplicates.

Max sighed, "Let's just listen to them. If what they're saying sounds too much like a trap, we'll go ahead with our original plan and head to California and try to find Cal."

Isabel groaned and left to go sit by Jesse.

Max came back and sat with the group, all the while Ava was looking at the two with disbelief.

"I know what I saw with my eyes. Rath, you had Zan trip over and get squashed by that truck."

Rath put on his cocky smile, "Did you see what happened after? If I remember correctly, you went off to go cry your head off, somewhere."

Lonnie grinned, "You always were the wuss of the pack."

Kyle was getting sick of this, "So, what DID happen?"

As Rath refilled his soda can with his hand, he threw his head back, "Well, we were going to have Zan killed because the idiot wouldn't listen to me and didn't want to take part in the Summit Meeting. So, Lonnie and I staged the whole thing, yet Zan survived. Unfortunately, he ain't Zan, no more."

Ava looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"The cops came and hauled his ass off. Last time we checked, he was marked as a missing persons and then was picked up by some family believing that he was a long lost relative."

Ava swallowed. So it was true, then. Zan was alive.

"Where is he now?" She asked.

Lonnie grinned, "Some fancy little Ivy-League College in New Haven, Connecticut."

* * *

Passing through a wide hospital corridor, Agent Veronica Kern went down until she came to an unmarked door. 

Stepping through, she looked at a man who was resting in a bed.

She took the time to look at his chart.

She turned around as a doctor came in.

"Can I help you, Miss?" He asked.

Agent Kern flashed her badge.

"How's his recovery?" She asked.

The doctor folded his arms, "Are you family?"

She shook her head and took out a paper and handed it to the doctor.

Looking it over, he sighed, "Well, we managed to do some cosmetic surgery which proved better than we had hoped. There was a great deal of bleeding and we're curious as to how this occurred."

Agent Kern smiled, "Sorry, confidential." She then turned to the man in the bed.

The doctor sighed, "Well then. We were also able to remove the glass shards and repair the muscle damage, it should heal in a matter of time; though he'll still have some great difficulty."

"When can we expect full recovery?" She asked the doctor.

"Well, considering what we had to do with the larynx, it's still up in the air. He could take as long as tomorrow, or later. It all depends on how he recovers from surgery."

Agent Kern nodded and she handed the doctor back the clipboard.

"Let me know as soon as he comes awake."

* * *

Mar'di came into the bedroom shortly after their ship had came to a stop. 

"How are we feeling?" He asked.

"A little nauseous." Maria said as she got up.

Mar'di nodded, "It'll pass. Larek has instructed me to take the both of you to his study, where he'll meet you."

Michael helped Maria up and the three then went out and exited the ship.

Maria felt her breath being taken away as she gazed out and around them.

Trees of massive heights, roughly standing as tall as a large office building lined the pathway of ground that looked as though to be moss, but of a brown-er color.

Michael, in awe as well, bent down and let his hands graze the surface, to which felt to him like the hairs of a cat or small animal. It was warm as well.

Walking along with Mar'di several other people were out, sitting and talking and then pointing as they watched the three make their way.

Whispering came out from the gray-skinned individuals, looking at them.

Looking on ahead, as they walked, the building they were walking to was both beautiful and peculiar.

Shaded in an ivory white with a soft peach color made the building look as though it was a giant conch shell as it had pointed edges along the sides. Terraces could be seen on the upper levels and people were there looking down upon them with great interest.

Two armored beings were next to the red doors that were ahead of them.

"Wait right here." Said Mar'di as he left them and went to one of these guards.

Michael marveled at their stature and fierceness. Yet, they seemed to also have a calm and friendly look as well.

Dressed in white clothing with long blue sabers attached at their waists, their helmets had an insignia on the top of the same that was on the door of the ship. Two "v"s, with a wavy line in between.

As soon as Mar'di got a nod from one of them, he turned back to Michael and Maria, and nodded.

One of the guards opened the door ajar and said: "Welcome General Rath and his concubine to the house of Lord Larek."

As the two went in, a lone figure stood and watched them, keeping herself out of view.

* * *

It seemed unanimous; they were going to go find Zan. 

Jesse was surprised to see how involved everyone was with finding someone they hardly knew, nor to the fact, that they were willing to have these dangerous people tag along with them.

Liz seemed to be of the same mind, knowing that Lonnie had tried to kill Max a certain number of times, made her uneasy about them deciding to go on this trip.

The only one who seemed excited about this trip was Ava.

As excited, as she was, she was also feeling a little worried as well.

They were going to be bringing along Rath and Lonnie, two people who had tried to kill Zan.

What was their interest in being back together with Zan?

She decided to hold off questioning, until the right time.

The group packed up the bus and before they left, donned their masks and went to each of their family members to say goodbye, for now.

There was new news to Kyle when he went to see his father.

"I'm thinking of asking Amy to move in with me." He said.

"What?" Kyle replied.

"Well," Said Jim, "I know she could use the company seeing as how Maria is in another solar system and we've talked about it before. Besides, it'd be closer to her work and without Maria helping her with money for gas, she could really use the shorter drive."

Kyle scratched the back of his head, "But Dad, have you really thought about this?"

Jim laughed, "Don't worry so much. I got things under control. Laurie's going to stay with us as well. She'll have Tess' old space."

Kyle shook his head in marvel at how far his Dad was taking his relationship with Amy DeLuca. Not that he blamed the guy, seeing as how he's been single ever since Kyle's mom had left.

However, choosing Amy DeLuca was still a little unnerving, considering how Kyle not too long ago befriended Maria; it felt weird.

Regardless, Kyle felt he should be supportive.

He hugged his Dad, "Be safe. Call on the cell if you need anything."

"You too." Jim said.

Liz's father and mother were having the most difficult time letting her go again.

"Dad, Mom, I really have to go, now." She said.

Nancy was still hugging her while Jeff sighed. He really wished she wouldn't have to. But remembering about what happened that night when their home was attacked by the FBI and then seeing his daughter strapped to that table; made Jeff realize that having her daughter play it safe was something he needed more than the comfort of having her at home again.

Nancy finally let go and Liz grabbed her belongings.

"You guys have my cell number, right? Remember, call me on yours, that way it won't get traced."

Both of the Parker's nodded.

"Please take care of yourself." Said Jeff.

Liz nodded and then applied her "mask" and then went out of her room and down to the Café.

Luckily, Max, Isabel, and Jesse's visit to the Evans' was short, due to Phillip having to go to a doctor's appointment, and the 'good-byes' came and went quickly.

Ava felt that there was a person she needed to say goodbye to, that being Miss DeLuca.

She didn't know her all that well, but both Ava and Liz felt that they should go over and say goodbye to her.

When they had gotten there, they found Sean with her as well.

Amy really appreciated that they were saying goodbye.

"Thank you for coming by. I actually have some pies to give you guys for the road." She then left while Sean hugged Liz and then shook Ava's hand. He then left to go to work at Kyle's old shop. Amy, then returned, carrying with her three pies of different variety.

"Huckleberry, Coconut Cream, and Cherry. Oh, and," She then reached over behind the counter and extracted a large bottle of tobasco sauce. "For those of you with the odd taste buds."

Ava smiled and hugged her, "Thank you so much."

Amy smiled.

Ava took the pies and sauce and headed out while Liz stayed. She sat down with Amy.

"I hear you might be rooming with somebody soon." Liz said.

Amy looked at her confused, "I'm sorry?"

Liz shook her head, "Never mind. I want to let you know that you're free to call me whenever you like."

Amy smiled, "Thank you, Liz. I appreciate that. Could you promise me something?"

"What?" Asked Liz.

Amy leaned forward, "If you hear anything about Maria and Michael before I do, please let me be the first to know right away."

Liz hugged her and nodded, "I promise."

* * *

Maria and Michael were led through the monstrous house, both of them taking in what they were seeing. 

The interior of the house was white, yet there were crimson pillars that jumped up into the ceiling. In the walls were massive portraits that seemed to signify other nobility's that had dwelled in this palace. Busts as well, showing proud, noble, people that Michael could only guess were related to Larek.

Mar'di led them to a room in the far corner and inside was a massive library.

Sitting in that library in a chair, reading, was a being.

He had well built arms, yet his facial features showed more of the intellectual sense, as he was wore glasses and his face was slightly wrinkled, because of age or of some kind of exposure to the sunlight, Michael didn't know.

Looking up from his book, his gray face turned to a smiled as he saw his visitors.

"Ah, you're here." He said, "Welcome."

Maria looked at him with immense curiosity. "Larek?"

He nodded, "Are you disappointed seeing how I really look?"

Both shook their heads.

Larek got up from his chair and shook their hands.

"General Rath, it's a pleasure to meet you in person rather than through the vessel, Brody."

Michael smirked, "If it's alright with you, could you call me Michael?"

Larek nodded, "I'll try. It'll be difficult but I'll manage. Please, why don't you both sit. I imagine you two have a lot on your mind."

Maria and Michael sat down in the chairs that were opposite of the one Larek had been sitting in; and they were comfortable.

Larek looked at them, with two fingers resting on his jaw and looked as though he was studying them.

"Nice digs." Said Michael, looking around.

"Digs?" Larek asked, confused.

Maria smiled, "He means 'nice place'. It's pretty impressive."

Larek shrugged, "It's old. Over a quarter of a century old, if I'm not mistaken."

This, in return, got a wide-eyed response from Michael who looked around him some more and he whistled loudly in awe.

Maria shifted in her seat, "So, what now?"

Larek smiled, "I'm glad you asked. I can't tell you how eager I am, as well as my fellow researchers, on finding there is to all about you, Maria DeLuca. Again, you are the very first of a cross-species breeding that has resulted successfully."

"Didn't work so out good before?" Michael asked.

Larek shook his head, "No, I'm afraid not. Considering the delicate balance of DNA sequencing that the closest we've ever came out to was something that never lived past two hours upon conceiving. You are a delightfully rare phenomenon. You seem to have the "missing link" that bridges the gap and allows the cells to behave to act in the stages of conceiving. Looking at your growth, it looks everything going to schedule, so far." He pointed to Maria's belly.

"I just thought it was coincidental, seeing as how I'm human and Michael's half-human. Just a regular sperm to egg thing that I learned in biology." Maria said.

Larek nodded, "Normally in human reproductions that would be correct. However, Rath, Michael, is not fully human. His appearance and anatomy is that of a human, but considering of his cells and the other aspects would not make him part of the homosapien species. Thus, his sperm are not human sperm, or rather their make is entirely alien. This is where our curiosity leads us. You ova, Maria, have excepted this foreign data and have combined it with your own. Now, you're in the process of developing and soon will be giving birth to your children."

Maria really wished she had Liz here to translate all that.

"That's why we're here." Said Michael.

Larek took off his glasses and cleaned them on a piece of cloth and the put them back on. "Well, today we're going to have Maria, here, stay in the medical lab. Don't worry, it'll be more comfortable than what humans have situated in theirs. There, Maria, we'll be giving you a legume that will help you speed up the birthing process."

"Legume?" Michael asked.

"That's a bean." Maria told him. She looked back to Larek, "What do you mean 'speed up the birthing process'? You mean I'll be giving birth a lot quicker?"

Larek nodded, "You'll go through the stages in a matter of hours, rather than days."

It was then that something struck Michael; a question he had been meaning to ask.

"Larek, is there anyway for you to tell if these babies will be human or alien?"

It surprised Maria not to have asked this question earlier, she looked at Larek waiting for his response.

"We'll look into it. In the meantime, let's get Maria situated and I can show you, General Rath, where you'll be staying during your stay."

Both nodded and got up with Larek and walked with him out the door.

* * *

As Agent Kern was out to get her morning coffee, her cell rang. 

"Kern." She replied.

"Agent Kern? This is Doctor Moresby from the hospital, you wanted us to call to let you know of the progress of the patient?"

Veronica set down her English muffin, "Yes?"

"He's in full recovery and he wants to speak with you."

"Great," She said, "Tell him I'll be there in twenty minutes."

* * *

So far, they've been on the road for two hours, but already the entire group liked their new vehicle. 

Kyle had managed to replace the original seats with that of Futon beds that were folded. He also replaced the fuel injection system and, with the help of Max, made it so they wouldn't need gas until 200 miles later down the road.

Isabel already was asleep lying on the bed, while Max and Liz snuggled next to eachother.

Kyle and Rath were playing cards, each one trying to up the other by changing their card numbers.

Lonnie was listening to her No Doubt CD, next to her head, and Ava was reading.

Jesse watched them from the mirror as he drove them east, amazed how calm these people can be despite the kind of people that were after them.

As soon as they got to Oklahoma, Max got out and changed the color of the bus and the plates.

They stayed the night and the following day, were back out on the road again.

The next time they stopped was in Kentucky and it was there that Max addressed the group.

"Well, we'll be in Connecticut sometime tomorrow, and I'm still at a lost about what we should do when getting there."

"Well, we'll go and find Zan and see what we should do about the whole Khivar thing, right?" Said Ava.

"Why are we going to Zan about Khivar?" Asked Jesse.

To this, no one immediately answered.

Liz then spoke up, "Well, let's make sure he's okay and then we'll make our next move after that, right?"

Max nodded. It seemed reasonable. He was curious how his other half lived and what kind of person he was. However, knowing the types of people Rath and Lonnie were, made Max a little apprehensive. That wasn't completely fair, though. Ava was good hearted and she swore up and down that Zan was the same. Rath only acted out of his interest in Lonnie. She was the only one Max and Isabel were worried about. This whole, turn of heart, seemed a little too good to be true. But seeing as how Lonnie's ticket to Antar was taken away from her, maybe she was left with little or no options; getting back together with her brother was the only thing left for her.

Max knew, deep down inside that he wanted to believe the best in people. Tess, however, had him reevaluate that and he was more wary because of it.

By the next day, they had drove and had arrived in New Haven, Connecticut by nightfall.

To their amazement, the fancy college that Rath had been referring to was Yale.

* * *

Robert Tucker sat within his cell, wondering what had transpired on the outside during his absence. 

He hoped with all his might that those kids were doing okay and Amy and the others were fairing well.

His mind was averted when the door to his cell opened and two figures came in.

One was Agent Kern, the other, Robert looked upon with fear as he recognized the horribly disfigured face.

"Hello…Agent Tucker." It wheezed.

Robert swallowed. He was looking at a man whose face looked like the making of a kid who clumsily made a mouth on a jack-o-lantern.

Robert was looking into the gleeful, psychotic eyes of Agent Henry Barns.

* * *

Having spent two days here already, Michael had felt this place felt like a home he hadn't been to in awhile. 

Maria was spending her time in the medical lad, which to Michael seemed more like a hotel room than a place of medicine. The only thing that was different was that there were rests that Maria had to put her legs on, from time to time; while the medical researchers took tiny samples, painlessly from her placenta. Blood was drawn from both Michael and Maria just to make sure that there were no viral things or hereditary illnesses that would befall upon their two children.

Maria enjoyed the fact that she would be able to listen to her music and that the whole procedure was painless. She was getting a little irritated at one point, when she was listening to Evita, that she wasn't getting through to one of the researchers about the difference between accapella and aria.

Michael, in the mean time, was being shown around the house by Lira, one of the housekeepers. Michael was patient with her as she asked question upon question about Earth.

"What is this Houston astros I've been hearing about?" She asked.

Michael sighed, "It's a crappy baseball team."

As the went to his room, Lira turned to Michael, "Is Courtney still living on Earth?"

Michael spun around and starred at her, "What?"  
Lira smiled, "Courtney, or Coreen as she was called here."

"You knew her?" Michael asked.

Lira nodded, "She was my sister."

Michael should have guessed. Lira sounded a lot like her, yet she had long snow-white hair and of course was gray skinned with large eyes.

Michael sighed, "I'm sorry but I think she died."

Lira nodded, "She only had fifty years with that husk of hers."

She then led Michael to some photos on the wall and pointed to one that showed herself with someone who looked like her.

"That's her."

Courtney, or Coreen, looked an awful lot like Lira, except she was taller and had a light wisp of orange to her hair.

Lira then pointed down to another picture of the two girls except there was a man standing between them.

"Here's you with us."

Michael starred at the picture, the first picture he had seen of what he looked like in his previous life.

He had broad shoulders, an athletic build, and a hard face. There were several scars on his face and his hair was brown. His skin was different, it was more of a light tan but the eyes remained alien, as they were big and pupil-less.

"You were really handsome. All of the girls wanted to be with you." Lira said.

Michael looked over and saw yet another picture of himself. In this one, it looked as though to be a royal photo, the way everyone was dressed.

"Who are these?"

Lira looked down, saddened. "That was taken just before…" She sighed. "That's of you and the royal family."

So this was them, them all together.

Michael was dressed in military clothes, while Max had on what looked to be a gown of some sort as did Tess' persona. Isabel was standing next to Michael and had a tiara on.

This is what they looked like before they were slain. Before they were reconstructed with human DNA and sent back to Earth.

* * *

As Larek worked with one of his researchers; Kimond, one of his advisors, approached him. 

"Is it wise, Larek?" He asked.

"Is what wise?" Larek asked back.

Kimond motioned to Maria in the next room, "To have them here. We've been proud that you've remained neutral within this little tantrum that's happening with the five planets, but having General Rath here may look to some as you giving your side to Antar."

Larek sighed as he put down the schematic he was reading and looked to his old friend, "You know this is all about research and interest in science. What is it that you're really worried about, Kimond?"

"Khivar, of course." Kimond said.

Larek smiled, "Our spies on Antar suggest nothing of him being knowledgeable about what we're doing here."

"He has spies too, Larek." Kimond said, holding up a finger, "Don't forget what had happened the first time you made contact with the royal four. Khivar had listened in and sent that worm Nicholas to Earth with more husks."

Larek nodded.

"We're being more careful now with our transmissions, Kimond. That and we've searched all who come in and out to make sure nothing goes with them."

"I just want it to be noted that we've spoke and I've said my peace." Kimond then left.

Larek watched him leave and then turned his attention back to Maria's file.

* * *

Seth Bishop had just gotten out of Russian History 101 when; a strange girl immediately hugged him. 

This girl had short bubble-gum pink hair, and a number of facial piercings.

"You're here! You're…Alive!" He was about to question about her comments when another person walked up who looked remarkably a lot like himself.

"What's going on?" Seth inquired.

Ava let go of him as she rejoined the group.

Max walked up to him, "Are you Zan?"

Seth shook his head, "I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else. My name's Seth."

Isabel walked forward, "Are you from New York?"

Seth froze. "I…I was found in New York. Why?"

Max sighed, "It's a long story, if you'd like to hear it."

Seth knew that these people knew something.

He joined with them outside of his quad and listened as they told him about themselves and then a little about him.

"Are you serious?" He asked. "Aliens, pods, secret powers; are the lot of you high?"

Ava put a hand on his head and moved it down to turn his short hair into the long, black, greasy dread-locks that he used to have. "Remember?" She asked.

Seth put his hand to his head and tugged to see if it was a wig, but it wasn't.

"How did you…" He began.

While Ava tried her best to explain, Max and Isabel walked away and spoke to eachother.

"Max, it looked as though the accident caused him to lose his memory."

Max nodded, "I'm guessing it also put his powers to sleep."

That was not true, however, as Seth waived his hand over his head and to his shock, he managed to revert his hair back to the way it was.

* * *

"Where are we with tracking down those kids?" Asked Agent Barns in a low voice. Due to his operation, he couldn't talk at a normal tone. 

Agent Kern handed him a folder, "Yesterday, someone in the town of Roswell thought they had seen Jesse Rameriz driving an old short school bus containing the said suspects east to Texas."

"Looks like they're on the run again. Have road blokes posted on the major highway." Barns said.

Agent Kern nodded, "What do you want to do with Agent Tucker, sir?"

"We'll send him packing. We've got him for aiding and abetting, so, he's no longer any use to us."

Make no mistake. Agent Barns was ready for war this time and he could care less about Tucker.

* * *

Michael walked into the Medical lab and into Maria's room. 

H plopped down into the chair next to her and she looked up from the magazine she was reading and smiled.

"How was the tour, 'General'?"

Michael shrugged, "It's all pretty interesting here. Lira showed me some photos of me when the four of us were living on Antar."

Maria put down her magazine and looked at Michael, "Serious?"

Michael nodded, "Even one, creepy one, of the four of us before we were horribly killed."

Maria shook her head in amazement.

"So," Michael said, looking around, "How's the baby growing thing going?"

Larek had stepped in just before Maria had a chance to answer.

"It's going better than expected. We have all the data we needed and I'm pleased to tell you both that you're children will look more like human than Antarian."

Maria heaved a sigh of relief, not really sure what was going to come out of her before.

Michael was still guarded. "Will they result in being completely human or will they have my DNA and powers?"

To this Larek sighed, "It looks as though you'll be given half. It's still in the early stages so we can't yet determine what the sexes of your children are going to be, but we know for certain that one of your children will be completely human while the other will have both human and Alien DNA."

Michael and Maria looked to eachother, then Maria looked to Larek.

"So, how long is the wait, now? Do I have to become any bigger?"

Larek laughed, "No, no you won't. In three days you're expected to give birth to your children."

Maria smiled and looked to Michael, "Three days, huh?"

Michael looked to her and nodded, "Yeah, three days."

* * *

Sitting in her room, looking out at the two moon in the horizon, Lira brushed her hair while humming some sort of song. 

She was interrupted when a figure appeared down below.

Lira then went out of her room and went down to the grounds to meet this person.

This man had no sign of welcoming, extremely stern.

He held out a parchment to which Lira took. The man then vanished.

Walking back to her room, Lira untied the parchment and a disk fell out.

She picked it up and pressed her finger to a nub, which caused and image of another man to appear.

"Lira your orders are as follows. You are to assassinate General Rath and his Concubine. Are we in agreement?"

Lira nodded, "Yes, King Khivar."

_**To be continued…**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRR **_

**A/N**: I know it seems that I'm focusing all of Khivar's energy on killing Michael and Maria, but trust me its a lot broader than that, it'll just be explained later on. I'm hoping this is going well as I'm trying my best to dabble in science fiction while in the meantime tell the story of what is happening on Earth with Max and the others.

**A/N II**: Reviews! Review! Review! Please?

_**Q-n-P**_


	10. Three Days of Alien Life

Max and the others were unsure as of what they should be doing right now.

They were no where near getting Zan/Seth's memory back to him and they felt that their time at New Haven was being wasted.

Max, however, felt they owed this to Ava; who has been there for them before.

Seth was filled with fear and reluctance about being around these newcomers; fear that being around them has turned him into some kind of a freak.

He was drawn to them though. For some unknown reason he felt that being with them was like being with some long lost relatives.

He didn't know why, but he decided to take them to his parent's house and have them meet them.

Harold and Cynthia Bishop two years ago adopted Seth Bishop after being taken in by NYPD to a hospital and being labeled as a John Doe.

At the time, he had no memory. The way he was dressed and how he looked even brought more questions to him. Strange symbols tattooed on his arms and weird facial piercings; he looked like one of those drunken low-life, fallen from fame, hard rockers that he had seen on VH1's "behind the music".

Cynthia had came to Seth at the police station convinced that he was a long lost relative of hers; that her father, John Hensworth, had an illegitimate child and that Seth was it.

The Bishop's lived fairly well. Harold Bishop was in the stock market trade and was very successful at it. So much in fact, that the NYSE had named a sector within their building after him.

Harold was reluctant about adopting Seth, yet he loved his wife so much that he decided to yield.

They had their own son, Josh.

Josh liked the idea of having an older brother and welcomed Seth with open arms. Being an only child and having to spend a lot of time in an empty house wore down on him considerably.

Josh was the one who answered the door when Seth and the others had arrived.

"Seth, my man, how was class?" He answered joyfully when Seth came.

"Boring as always. Is Cynthia home?" Seth replied, looking about. He never felt comfortable calling her "mom" and with Josh being there it seemed all the more important that he refrained from doing so.

"Nope. You missed her. She's off to some snobbish charity thing. Why?"

Seth sighed, "Ok, I need you not to freak out about something, but, I found someone who looks exactly like me."

"Really?" Josh said, folding his arms and leaning against the doorway.

Seth then motioned with a hand behind him and the others came into Josh's view.

At first, Josh was surprised to see the number of people that Seth had with him, and then his eyes came upon Max.

Surprise hit Josh, but then it was replaced by humor.

"So, you're evil twin has emerged, huh? What's your name?"

Max was shocked by how all of this didn't put Josh into a panic, something Max was used to by now.

"Max Evans."

Josh nodded, "Well, don't all of you stand out there, come on in. Seth, you know you're going to have to spill about this later, right?"

Seth grinned, "X-Box?"

Josh grinned in return, "X-Box."

**Chapter 10: Three days of Alien life**

Three days.

Michael went over that in his head over and over again. Three days until he would become a father.

Something as monumentous as this would normally have his head spinning, but with all that's happened and the weird yet sage advice that was given to him by that wacko fortune teller, to "believe in the love"; Michael felt happy rather than scared of all that was happening.

To Maria, though, she thought Michael was just keeping his insecurities about the whole thing buried deep inside.

Neither had much time to spend with eachother as both were detained with Larek and his scientists taking samples and helping Maria through the final stages of the growth and Michael being escorted and introduced to a lot of people by Lira and some others.

Michael felt a little weirded out that Lira insisted on calling him "General Rath" and introduced him as so to many of the people they came in contact with.

Her questions also made him feel uneasy. She had all of these specific questions regarding, not only Michael, but Max, Isabel, and Tess, as well.

Michael tried his best to answer them.

Not wanting to be impolite but at the same time to get them over with so he'd be able to see Maria a lot sooner.

Then, in the late afternoon, Lira took him to a room that had even more photos, yet it seemed to be more feminine as the room had lighter colors and photos contained Lira in all of them.

"This is my room." She said.

"You don't say." Michael said, looking at the pictures.

Touching one had Michael's mind warping and coming to this very room. Standing there, he looked around and saw the Antarian version of himself slow dancing with Lira.

"We can't do this any more, you and I." He said in a gruff voice.

Lira seemed to be tearing up, "Why must you get married to Vilandra, Rath?"

Michael watched himself smile, "You know why. We're in love."

Lira shook her head; "We were once in love. What happened?"

They stopped dancing.

"Nicholas happened. You know that. We're against his politics and his disreputable record makes him a dangerous man. You knew that, yet you choose him over me, Lira."

"Rath? General?"

Michael opened his eyes and found himself lying on the floor of Lira's room.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

Michael picked himself up and shook his head, wearily.

"I think I'm just tired."

Lira nodded and escorted him back to his room, which was downstairs.

Michael thought along the way about what he had seen and how desperately he wished Max were here to talk about it with him.

* * *

Agent Barns was in a foul mood today. Not only did the roadblocks prove to be useless, but he was getting no information from any of the Agents in Roswell as to the status of the parents.

"Well, what are they doing, Agent Clemens?"

"_**Nothing much, sir. They're just going about their daily routine."**_ Clemens said, over the radio.

Agent Barns threw the handset into fireplace, "Damn!"

_Where are those kids!_

Agent Kern watched Barns pacing back and forth, musing to herself how the man could get so warped up over these things.

Truth be told, she couldn't care less if they were to be captured or not, only on how her record looked whether the job had been finished or just fully exhausted.

Her previous superior had told her that Henry Barns' recommendations were the ones that got you places. Follow him and make sure you do your job accordingly and you'll reap the benefits.

Looking over the schematics of all purchases made by these kids were heavily analyzed, as well as those who aided them.

A smile crept on to Veronica Kern's face.

"Agent Barns, sir." She called out to him.

Barns stomped his way over to her. "Yes, Agent." He replied.

She showed him the paper, "It looks as though Jesse Rameriz, Isabel Evans-Rameriz's husband, has been making a few purchases in New Haven, Connecticut."

Agent Barns smiled, "Wonderful, good job, Agent Kern."

Yes, those steps to becoming assistant director were going to be fewer and fewer for Agent Veronica Kern.

* * *

As Josh and Seth played away as Master Chief, Max and Liz took a stroll around the house looking at the various photos and came upon one that had them both staring.

The man, John Hensworth, was standing next to a locomotive in what appeared to be set during the depression. What had captivated both Max and Liz of this photograph was that John looked exactly like Max and Seth.

Just like Charles Dupree was the origin of Michael, John was that of Max.

"Oh, my God." Isabel said. She and Jesse had been following the two around, looking at the photos as well.

"Max…is that you?" Jesse asked.

Max touched the photo and closed his eyes, "It must be. John Hensworth must have been the donor for my human genetic make-up, as well as Seth's."

"Did someone say my name?" Said a voice ahead of them.

The group turned and saw an elderly man walk forward, limping on a cane.

Slouching in his bathrobe, the man came to the group and looked at Max.

"Oh, my. I see another one of me." He said, smiling.

Max had no idea of what to say. Standing before him was John Hensworth.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hensworth. I'm Liz Evans and this is my husband, Max." Liz said, extending her hand.

Mr. Hensworth shook it.

Liz then indicated to Jesse and Isabel, "These are my sister-in-law and her husband; Jesse and Isabel Rameriz."

Both nodded to John.

Max still had not spoken yet, still staring at the man whose appearance suggested to Max that this was how HE was going to look in his older years.

Max hadn't spoken; fore he did not know what to say.

John led them into his study where there were a great deal more of old photographs and also, to the surprise of the group, framed sketchings done of aliens.

John Hensworth sat down in a large armchair and poured himself some scotch; he offered some to the group, to only Jesse gratefully excepted.

"Now then, where do YOU come from, Mr. Evans?" He asked Max.

"Where do you think I come from, sir?" Max asked.

John smiled, "Well, if you're like my daughter, you'll be telling me that you come from my illicit affair with one Abigail Truman back in the late seventies. However, if you are me, I believe you come from up north…far north."

"How far?" Asked Isabel.

Mr. Hensworth pointed his finger directly at the ceiling. "Very far."

"Why do you think that, Mr. Hensworth?" Liz asked.

"My dear, I'm old, but am not a fool. I remember, quite vividly, what had happened on August 14th of 1939. As do the others…"

"The others?" Max asked.

John nodded, "Charles Dupree, Rachel June, and Lillian Cross. All of whom, remember that night when we became airborne and "guests"."

* * *

Sitting with Maria, Michael told her of the flash that he had and how it was making him nervous of Lira.

"She cheated on me with Nicholas, Nicholas! That puny little terror that works for Khivar. What is Larek thinking employing someone who's associated with people who murdered his friends?"

Maria didn't know what to think. Quite frankly, her mind was more on her large stomach and the two little things inside. She suddenly felt some movement and she grabbed Michael's hand.

"Michael, they're moving. Feel that? This is so weird, yet…"

Despite Michael's irritation that Maria hadn't been listening to him, he did agree, as he felt movements within her, that this was weird.

"Day after tomorrow." She said in a low voice.

Michael nodded, "Day after tomorrow. Nervous?"

Maria nodded, "Are you kidding? I'm going to be pushing these suckers out of me. From what my mother told me, it's going to hurt like hell."

Maria then grabbed Michael by his shirt, "You better be here."

Larek stepped in and Maria let go of her grasp.

"How are we today?" He asked.

As Maria laid her head down again, she shrugged, "Fine."

"Larek, can I speak with you for a minute?" Michael asked.

Larek nodded and Michael followed him outside.

Michael took a deep breath, "Larek, what can you tell me about Lira?"

Larek pushed up his glasses and smiled, "Well, General Rath, I mean, Michael; I'm surprised you haven't asked me that sooner. After all, you two have quite the history together."

Michael nodded, "When she showed me to her room, I had a flash, a waking dream, there I was as General Rath and she and I were dancing. I found out listening to the conversation that we had that she was involved with Nicholas, Khivar's second in command."

Larek nodded, "Yes, that is true. Lira and Nicholas, or Niico, as he is called here, was involved with Lira, which has actually been a blessing in disguise, really."

Michael didn't understand this. How could being in bed with the enemy be a 'blessing in disguise'?

"What do you mean?" Michael asked.

Larek looked around and then leaned over and whispered in Michael's ear.

"She's a double Agent. She's been spying on Khivar for us."

* * *

Sitting outside in the garden with Ava, Kyle was wondering to himself, why the hell was he so set on getting with Aliens?

Tess had become a mistake for him because having her in his household those years ago, caused him to look at her on a more brotherly level.

With Ava it was different. Nothing about her reminded him of Tess, with some exceptions concerning the face, but that was it. Ava was Ava; completely unique.

Now, the only problem that he saw was her depression that Zan, or Seth; didn't know her at all.

"Cheer up, he'll snap out of it." Kyle said as he brushed his hands over some daises turning them blue in the process. Max had told him to, every once in a while, to practice his abilities.

"And what if he doesn't?" She sighed and looked around, "I guess it wouldn't be so gruesome. He's been given a life better than the one he had before. Why the hell would he want to give this up to be with someone like me?"

Kyle put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, don't be like that."

Ava sighed and rested her head against Kyle's hand, which made Kyle's hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"Why are you so nice?" she asked.

Kyle smiled, "C'mon, let's go see what the others are up to."

Ava smiled and allowed him to take her hand and help her up.

The two went back inside, to where Ava sighed, discouragingly again, upon seeing Seth playing Halo with Josh.

Meanwhile, back in John Hensworth's study, John held out a photo album for Max and the others to see.

"We eventually met again, in Roswell, New Mexico after hearing that an unidentified flying object landed there. There's the four of us standing in front of the newly opened Roswell UFO Center."

Max, Isabel, and Liz marveled on how old the place looked back then.

Isabel then looked at the woman who was her.

"Mr. Hensworth, this woman who looks like me, which one is it, Rachel or Lillian?"

"Lillian Cross. She was such a wonder back then. One of the top models for swimwear fashion, if I'm not mistaken." John said, smiling.

Jesse grinned, "Wow, I'm married to a supermodel."

Isabel ignored what he had said. Instead she looked to Mr. Hensworth.

"Is she still around?"

Mr. Hensworth shook his head, "I'm afraid not, dear. She died in a car accident back in the sixties."

"What about Rachel June?" Max asked.

Mr. Hensworth nodded, "Oh, she's still around, though not all there, I'm afraid."

"Why do you say that?" Liz asked.

"She's been afflicted with altzheimers disease. Had been diagnosed with it only recently. She lives in Augustus, Maine with her two daughters."

Max sighed, "So, I guess you two are the only ones left."

John looked at Max with surprise. "You haven't asked about Charlie, though."

Max nodded, "He died about seven years ago. We know. Our friend Michael is a version of him."

John sighed, "It was a shame that I couldn't go down there for his funeral. After our experience, we had become good friends, Charlie and I."

Liz watched Mr. Hensworth looked longingly out the window and to her surprise, so did Max. It then struck her how these two shared a bond with their friend that were of Charles and Michael.

Liz knew that Max was thinking about Michael right now.

* * *

"Agent Kern, have we located our suspects yet?" Agent Barns asked.

Agent Kern brought forward a paper. "A group of students at Yale University have stated that they've seen some weird individuals coming into contact with another and then they got onto a short school bus and drove off. Apparently, they were picking up someone from on campus."

Agent Barns took out a clove cigarette and lit it, "Call Yale, give them a story that we're tracking a few known fugitives and that we'll be needing to look at their campus security cameras, and do it fast, Agent."

Agent Kern nodded and left immediately.

Agent Barns leaned back inside of the surveillance van that he was in and looked down at the photographs of the six teenagers and smiled.

_Daddy's coming to get you._

* * *

Michael hadn't been completely convinced by Larek's assurance that Lira was on their side. Something about it made him feel uneasy.

He knew that if Maxwell were here he would tell him to trust Larek's words and leave the matter alone.

Michael knew that he would not be doing that.

Creeping into Lira's room, Michael locked the door behind him and then went to work to see if there was anything to support Larek's words or discourage them.

So far he hadn't come up with anything. Feeling pissed off, Michael slammed his fist against the table and a silver disk fell to the floor in the process.

When it hit the ground, an image came into contact with the wall.

There was a man or being in there and he was dressed rather in a royal ensemble, what with the gown and all.

He seemed to be in mid sentence.

_**"…Remember, Lira, it is vital that we attack the royal four separately. Together they are strong, but alone they will be vulnerable. While Rath is there, you must eliminate him and the woman carrying his offspring. I'll do my part along with Niico and carry out our plans on Earth with the remaining four. Do your part and you shall be heavily rewarded. Khivar out."**_ The image then disappeared.

Michael suddenly heard someone unlocking the door to the room and he quickly hid.

From underneath the bed, he saw Lira come in and then pause. There was a sudden flash of light and the bed Michael was under was lifted off the ground.

Lira had a look of surprise on her.

"General? What are you doing here?"

Michael walked over and picked up the disk, he then handed it to her.

"What does this mean?" He asked.

Lira groaned and sat down at her desk, looking at the disk and then putting it away.

"So, I guess you've heard." She said.

Michael nodded, "Larek tells me that you're working on both sides. Which side do you want to help out the most, though?"

Lira looked at him in shock, "Why, your side, of course! I would never dream of helping out Khivar!"

Michael sighed, "Lira, when you brought me in here I had a flash, a vision, of you and I dancing just before my marriage to Vilandra."

Lira blushed and looked away, "You remember that?"

Michael nodded, "Did you really have a thing going with Niico?"

Lira closed her eyes and nodded.

"Are you still?" Michael asked.

Lira shook her head, "No. I'm not. He wasn't the man he used to be. He had become full of hunger for power that Khivar was promising him." She then looked at Michael, "Why do you want to know this, General?"

Michael sighed as he sat down on the bed, "Let's just say, it takes me a while to trust people I just meet."

Lira nodded and got up and sat down next to him and took his hand.

"You needn't fear anything from me. I was crushed when I had heard of your death, along with the others, and vowed to help Larek and his team to do whatever was necessary to get back at Khivar and Niico."

Michael really wanted to believe that, he really did. But when it came to people who were in bed with the enemy either then or now, he wasn't going to give his trust that easily. Remembering fully on how Alex had ended up, Michael had promised himself he'd be more wary of the company that he kept.

Looking at his watch and seeing how late it was, he told Lira goodbye and went back to Maria, finding her already asleep.

This was all that mattered to him now, on this planet. That and what lay inside Maria.

Doing his best not to wake her, Michael slid into the covers and next to Maria and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Mr. Hensworth graciously allowed them to spend the night in the huge house.

The following day, Mrs. Bishop had come home. Seth tried his best to come up for the reason as to why there were so many people in her house. Luckily, Mr. Hensworth backed him up.

Upon meeting Max, Cynthia sighed, "Jeez, Dad, learn to keep it in your pants from now on, okay?"

With Harold away on business meetings, however, she felt happy that she'd be entertaining some new people in her home.

"So, Max, what do you do?"

Max fumbled for an answer.

Jesse had one in store; "He's a legal consultant of mine for the firm I'm working for."

Cynthia seemed to be satisfied, "How long will you be in town for?"

For this, Max needed to talk with the others, but he answered, "For a short while."

As soon as they had finished breakfast, Seth decided that he would give them a tour around his campus.

Upon arrival, with him pointing out various locations and giving brief histories about the buildings he was indicating; Kyle had an unsettling feeling that they were being watched.

At first, he thought it was just the students, who cast them suspicious and questioning looks. But then, Kyle had looked out and into the parking lot and saw three unmarked black suvs.

One of them had a man leaning out with a long scoped lensed camera and was snapping photos.

Ava seemed to pick up on Kyle's look and looked to where he was staring.

Kyle grabbed Max's arm.

"We've been spotted." He said in a low voice.

Seth looked at them curiously. "Is something the matter?"

Max walked up to Seth, "We've been discovered. Go to a classroom and stay there. They may not know about you yet, stay with us and all of that will change. Go and go quickly."

Ava was about to voice her argument towards that, when Kyle grabbed her arm, and said, "Hurry! They're coming out!"

The group then hurriedly walked at a face past, which then turned into running back to the bus as men in suits came at them from side to side.

A loud commotion came from the other students on campus as the six were being chased to the bus.

Jesse and Isabel were the first ones to reach the bus and Jesse had just got it started as Max and Liz had gotten closer.

Getting on, Max held out a hand to Ava and grabbed her in time.

Jesse suddenly froze as a man stood in front of the bus pointing a gun at him.

Kyle managed to knock the gun away from him, he then shouted at Jesse.

"Jesse, pull out now!"

As Jesse pulled back and away, Kyle found himself surrounded by three Agents.

Just as he managed to knock the weapon from one, two of the others brought out tazer-guns and they both fired upon Kyle.

The darts penetrating his flesh and releasing the high voltage causing Kyle to fall to his knees.

Ava watched with horror as the men then put a black hood over Kyle's head and then drag his body away from the scene.

"Max! They've got Kyle!" She shouted.

Isabel looked at Max, "Max?"

Max shook his head; "We're going to have to get to him later. We can't risk all of us being captured again."

Ava couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not only were they abandoning him they were giving the enemy that advantage of getting away without them ever knowing where they might be taking Kyle.

"Are you serious!" She shouted at Max.

When Max didn't answer, Ava got up and walked to the back of the bus and held out her hand against the lock of the bus, causing it to open.

"Ava what are you doing!" Shouted Liz.

"I'm going after him." Ava replied. "I'll meet you all back at Seth's when I have him." With that being said, she jumped off the bus and ran back to the scene.

* * *

Maria threw down her magazine that she had read for the gazillionth time and took out her iPod and listened to Holly Brook's Like Blood Like Honey, mouthing the lyrics as she closed her eyes; caressing her belly as she did.

Feeling the little kicks and movements of those who would be coming out of her tomorrow she felt a little sad that this entire experience would be over the next day.

Michael, who was softly snoring beside her, shifted slightly.

Maria smiled. With all that's happened in their relationship leading up to this, never had she imagined that they've gone to such feats.

Maria, at one time, had been jealous of the progression that Liz had gone with Max while Maria was struggling with Michael's reluctance to go into a relationship in the first place.

There had been moments where she felt that it had been all a mistake to take on the 'Spaceboy' challenge to begin with.

Yet, that wonderful moment where he had told her that not only he loved her but that, at the time he was planning on splitting, that he would never want to love another person. That she meant that much to him.

Looking at the ring on her finger, Maria was still unsure as to what motives Michael had to wanting to propose to her; probably her mother's influence.

Or was it this pregnancy? Maria knew that she would never get a straight answer from the guy, yet she was curious all the same.

The kicking with inside her came back and Maria made low shushing sounds as she lovingly rubbed her stomach.

It wouldn't be much longer. Not much longer till these little things would be brought into the world and into her arms.

* * *

Agent Barns, along with Agent Kern, went to the suv that Agents Lowell and McNally.

Agent McNally opened the back door where the bound individual, masked, and sedated lay slumped against the seat.

"Where are the others?" Agent Barns inquired.

Agent McNally sighed, "Sorry, sir. They spotted us before we were able to detain them. We were only able to secure one of them."

Agent Kern removed the black mask, revealing Kyle Valenti.

Normally, Henry Barns would have yelled at the Agent for grabbing someone who had little or no purpose to the entire operation. But not this time.

No, Kyle Valenti was a mystery. Something Agent Barns was eager to unravel.

"Good job, Agent." He said.

Both Agent Kern and Agent McNally looked at eachother and at Agent Barns in surprise.

"Go and locate the others. They should be somewhere in the vacinity, planning on rescuing him. Secure them immediately."

Agent McNally stood up straight, "Sir." He said and then went and, with another Agent, went into another vehicle and drove off.

Barns turned to Agent Kern.

"Bring him inside and have him prepared for questioning."

Agent Kern nodded.

"Oh, and Agent…" Barns said, "Make sure he's heavily sedated."

Ava watched as that sick degenerate bastard walked away and the woman, along with two other men, brought out Kyle and dragged him inside to the storage building they were in.

Following closely to the building, Ava walked around the corner and came to the door they had went into.

Seeing it was locked by digital hand print and DNA recognition, Ava swore loudly and then looked around for another means of entry.

* * *

Back at the Bishop's, sitting with Seth, who had recently returned, Isabel looked at Max with disbelief.

"Max, remind me again why we deserted Kyle back there, because I'm having a hard time understanding it."

Max sighed, "We can't let them have all of us again, Isabel."

"But you do plan on getting him back, right?" She asked.

Max nodded, "Of course. Kyle is not going to be left behind."

Jesse shook his head, "So, how do we go in and rescue him?"

Liz looked to Isabel, "Can you go into his head and see where he's at?"

She sighed, she felt that she had covered this so many times before in these types of situations.

"I can try." She said.

Liz handed her a photo of all of them together at her's and Max's wedding. Isabel touched Kyle causing him to ripple in the photo; she then closed her eyes.

Standing in a room with an overhanging light, Isabel found Kyle strapped in a straight jacket, which was strapped to a gurney. He was tilted up and a man in a suit came and injected him with some sort of liquid.

"Kyle!" Isabel shouted at him.

Kyle made no response.

Then the door opened and Isabel found herself going completely numb from horror as she saw the man who walked in.

"No." She whispered.

The man who had mutilated Michael, the man she had prayed that would leave their life forever was standing before Kyle, leering over him.

"No! Kyle!" Isabel shouted. She then found herself being hurtled from the area and back to the Bishop's house.

Lying on the floor, sweating profusely, with Jesse holding her.

Isabel looked to Max, "Max, he's back. That sick bastard has Kyle."

* * *

When Michael had awakened, he had found that Maria was taken to the medical bay for the final preparations for her birth that was tomorrow.

One thing that Michael hated about being on another world that there wasn't any Snapple or tobasco sauce.

Lira had come to take him to breakfast in the courtyard outside.

Michael still had his doubts about her integrity and whether or not she was telling the truth, but he decided he'd not say anything until he was sure.

Peeling away at some strange fruit, Michael watched Lira without blinking, only to divert his eyes when they came into contact with her's.

Looking over the landscape, Michael had yet another flash and found himself, as General Rath, walking along with Lira, holding hands, and gazing out ward at the purple-strewn sky.

They seemed happy, yet there was something that Michael couldn't identify with, something that seemed odd about the relationship between the two.

Michael watched as he got down on one knee and held out a blue-diamond.

General Rath was purposing to Lira.

Lira in turn shook her head and closed General Rath's hands over the diamond and pushed his hand away.

She then walked away, leaving a confused and thoroughly hurt General behind in her wake.

The flash had ended and Michael still felt that Lira was someone he couldn't trust. Despite that these flashes were showing that the two of them had a life together, in a past life; Michael wasn't fully convinced, however.

Another flash took over Michael and he found himself, as General Rath, walking towards Lira.

"Why Niico? I'm a General of Antar and he is but a petty thug; Why him, Lira?" He asked.

Lira's eyes clouded over, "There some answers I cannot give to you, my dear General. But know this, it's for your safety that I do this."

General Rath waved a hand, dismissivly, "Safety? What are you talking about? All that loathsome, little, creature has is empty threats; that and a master who is a coward. What threat could he possibly have towards me?"

Lira looked at him in alarm; "Khivar is hardly a coward. You know what he did to Juur and how he made good his promise of killing the entire family. Now I hear he plans to take over Antar. He means to annihilate both you and the royal family. Don't you see, General? By being with you I'm allowing them to destroy you, I couldn't bear that. Being with Niico allows me to influence both him and his master to let go of this murderous ambition."

General Rath laughed, "Murder us? Lira you're a fool if you think that I'd allow that man anywhere near King Zan and the others. Trust me, Khivar will never get the better of Antar. Never."

The flash ended and Michael found himself putting his hand onto Lira's.

"What is it, General?" She asked.

"I'm sorry." Michael said.

* * *

Kyle's vision was blurred when he opened his eyes and he found himself really groggy.

"Welcome back to the world, Kyle Valenti."

That voice. Kyle, despite his condition found himself feeling incredibly numb and terrified.

Agent Barns walked over to him and sat on a stool looking directly into his eyes.

Even though his vision was impaired, that and how he couldn't even move any part of his body; Kyle could swear that he saw the horrendous teeth of the man smiling down on him.

"Kyle, before we were so rudely interrupted, we didn't get a chance to finish our conversation. But, before we get into that, I must say that I'm amazed by what you have gained by being with these creatures. They've made you into one of them. A freak. A murderer, with all of the tools to cast himself out of society; a pure incarnation of evil."

Kyle laughed at this to himself.

_Evil? What's evil is your breath._

Kyle could faintly make out some sort of object in Agent Barns' hand.

"I guess since you're alien now, you tolerance for pain will be like Mr. Guerin's."

Kyle could feel the object being placed at his left hand, and then nothing. Kyle couldn't move his head to see what was exactly being done to him, yet he knew what this man was capable of so, it wasn't anything pretty.

When Agent Barns brought the object up again, it was dark red.

He smiled, "When the drug wears off we'll see how cooperative you'll be this time and then see what you'll be willing to tell us. In the meantime, let me make a few more improvements to you."

* * *

Ava found herself running out of options as of means of getting entry to the building.

"Have you found a way in yet?"

Ava turned around and found Max and the others standing behind her.

She shook her head, "No, I haven't. The only entrance requires a hand print recognition and DNA identifying access."

Max looked around and then an idea came to him.

"Have you tried manipulating anyone inside to come out?"

Ava shrugged, if I could see anyone in there, then yeah, I could try."

Seeing the nearest window, Max looked to Jesse, who was the tallest of the group.

"Can she stand on your shoulders?"

Jesse nodded.

Hoisting her up, Ava peered through the bar windows and saw tow men standing near the entrance of the main door.

Closing her eyes she had them imagine that Kyle had escaped and went through the main door.

Max, Isabel, and Liz stood waiting and within earshot they heard the shouting of the two men.

Coming out, Liz threw her bookbag to catch the quickly closing door, while Max and Isabel had the men thrown and sprawled against the wall, knocking them out cold.

"We'd better hurry. No telling what that butcher is doing to Kyle." Said Max.

* * *

As Agent Barns had said, the drug had worn off and Kyle was feeling the immense pain of what had been done to him.

His vision clearing, he saw that, from the corner of his eye, that pieces of glass had been shoved through the webbing of skin between his middle and ring finger all the way to the middle of his hand.

Violent sparks of pain and suffering went through his mind as his nerves in his hand tried in desperate to have the muscles in his hand contract to get rid of the pain.

This in turn caused more pain. All Kyle could do was bite down on his lower lip and try to go to the back of his mind and find some place peaceful.

"That won't do you any good, Kyle."

Kyle opened his eyes for a moment to see Agent Barns sitting in the corner of the room smoking.

He then walked forward and extinguished his cigarette on Kyle's open wound.

Kyle found the pressure on his lip being harder and a little bit of blood was extracted in the process.

Agent Barns was smiling all the while. "Feel like talking, Mr. Valenti?"

In Kyle's mind his found that same dark area that felt like comfort, a place that would shield him from the horror around him.

Kyle's eyes, in the process of going to this haven in his mind, clouded over and became completely black.

Agent Barns smiled, "That's it, try to shield yourself from what's going on around you." He then picked up a scalpel.

Heat started to build up in Kyle's body, and smoke arose from him as his body's temperature went up to an alarming rate. Burning through the sleeve of the straight jacket, he was about to get through the restraints of the gurney he was in, when Agent Barns slammed the scalpel into Kyle's left eye, causing Kyle's body to go into shock and then went completely still. Having Kyle Valenti completely rigid.

"There, there, no need to get worked up, Mr. Valenti. This day is just beginning."

* * *

Walking through the hallways, the group ran into a very confused Agent Veronica Kern.

At first no one moved, and then she lifted up her handset.

Isabel knocked it out of her hand.

Liz, in turn, had her flying across the room and up against the wall.

Jesse had his pistol out and had it pointed at her.

Max squatted down next to her.

"Where's our friend Kyle?" He asked.

Agent Kern thought for a moment and then said, "In the boiler room."

Max nodded and prepared to leave, when he noticed Ava leaning down next to her.

"Is that the truth?" She asked.

Agent Kern didn't reply.

Ava then put her hand on Veronica's head and closed her eyes.

After a minute, she opened them and then punched the woman, knocking her out.

"Why did you do that?" Asked Isabel.

Ava smiled, "She lied. Kyle's actually in the loading area's manager's office, with Agent Barns."

Max was curious, "Are you telling me that you read her memories?"

Ava nodded, "I'm surprised you guys can't. I learned it by the others."

Max and Isabel looked at eachother, feeling a little embarrassed.

They soon left and found a map of the structure crewed to the wall.

Taking over half a dozen left and rights turns they found themselves in the loading area.

Dusty boxes and rusting forklifts suggested this place hadn't been in use for awhile.

Going through the maze of boxes did they find the manager's office. This time it was locked with an electronic key card lock.

This was easy for them. Max waived his hand over the mechanism and the lights went from red to green. A loud click meant that it was now opened.

Going inside, Max came to a complete stop.

Ava pushed past him and found herself trembling as she saw Kyle's form on the gurney. A scalpel protruding from his left eye and his right hand split in half by a shard of glass.

Max quickly went over and placed two fingers to Kyle's neck.

"He has a weak pulse." Max stated.

Jesse quickly walked over and assisted Max removing the straps, while the three women stood there in shock and horror.

"Glad you could make it."

The five of them turned to see Agent Barns, along with three other Agents standing in the opened doorway.

Looking at the twisted smile on this man, and how horrific his own appearance looked, didn't stop Ava from lunging after him; even regardless to the other men who were there carrying tazer-guns.

Causing one of the men to go flying out, the other aimed his weapon art Ava.

Never got the chance to, as Isabel and Liz followed in Ava's outrage and attacked the two standing men.

Agent Barns brought out his magnum and fired at Ava.

It caught her in the leg, but it was nothing to her as she continued her lunge after Barns.

Agent Barns decided to retreat into the maze of boxes as the three followed him in.

Max and Jesse had just removed the final leather strap and Max had begun to work on healing Kyle.

Jesse carefully extracted the scalpel from the eye and Max put his hand over it, hoping he could heal it.

Jesse then left Max to go and protect Isabel and the others.

Inside the maze of boxes, Ava finally found her pulse steadying and also felt the pain of the bullet buried within her thigh. She decided to sit down and take out the bullet.

Using her powers, she still found the process painful and when it finally came out, she tore a piece of her shirt and tied it around to cover the wound.

Behind her, Agent Barns held his gun out and pointed it directly at her.

Liz had it flying away from him and Isabel send a blow to him that had him jetting up and over Ava and making contact with the raised teeth of the forklift. It didn't go through him but the loud cracking sound was enough to suggest what it had done damage to his back.

Ava looked above and saw a front-end loader holding several large boxes that weighed over a hundred pounds each. She pointed her hand to the loader and had the boxes fall down on the still smiling Agent Henry Barns.

At first, Isabel and Liz said nothing and then both nodded to the fact that this whole experience was now over.

Isabel and Liz helped Ava up and brought her back to the Manager's office where Max was finishing up healing Kyle's hand.

Liz could tell by Max's face that something didn't go as planned with healing Kyle.

"Max? What is it?" She asked.

Max stepped aside and the group saw, to their astonishment, that Kyle's left eye was milky and the iris was mis-preportioned, while the other was natural.

"How bad is it, Max?" Kyle asked.

Upon hearing his voice, Ava limped over and hugged him, crying softly.

* * *

As Dawn broke, Michael went back to Maria, holding in his hands some pictures of him, as General Rath, that were given to him by Lira.

Both Michael and Maria sat together looking over the various photographs; Maria making remarks like "Why can't you have a bod like that?" while they went through them.

Michael smirked as he ignored these comments and showed the last picture of the pile to Maria, that of General Rath and the royal family.

"Wow," she said, "So that's what you guys look all together."

Michael nodded.

Maria looked at the sullen but proud features of Max's King Zan and Marveled on how elegant the two royal females of Isabel and Tess looked.

A thought came across Maria's mind and she sighed thinking about it.

"Michael…Is Larek going to let us return home?"

Michael was surprised, "I would think he would, why?"

Maria touched the photo of the royal four; "Having you here must be some reassurance. That things will get better on Antar for those who've been struggling with that jerk, Khivar. Having us leave would be a problem, wouldn't it?"

Michael couldn't believe that he hadn't thought to ask of this first.

"Maybe." He replied, "But we have friends and family on Earth that need us more. Like Max said, he's not a King, I'm not his second in command, and Isabel and Ava are not Queen and Princess. We're not the people we were meant to be. We're…ourselves." He bent his head down and kissed Maria on the forehead, "We're going back to Earth the moment you're ready. I promise."

* * *

Kyle's eye had become increasingly sensitive to the sunlight the following morning. Josh had managed to find his mother's old eye patch that she had to wear after her lasik eye surgery. Putting it on, however, made Kyle feel ridiculous.

"I look like a pirate." He said, looking at himself in the mirror.

"What's wrong with pirates?" Max asked, standing next to him.

Kyle laughed, "I don't want to be a pirate."

"Well, you didn't want to be around aliens either, look how that went." Isabel said, standing outside of the doorway.

All three laughed at this.

Coming out into the living room the three met with Jesse, who then saw Kyle.

Jesse grinned, "Avast me hearty!"

Kyle then took it off and blinked, "That's it."

But as soon as he opened it he quickly put his hand over his eye.

Jesse stood up apologetically, "Look, its not that bad. Sorry for making a crack at it."

Kyle shook his head, "Nah, you're right it does make me look like that."

Ava came in and saw Kyle, she immediately walked up to him and saw the eye patch in his hand.

"Aren't you going to put that on?"

Kyle laughed, "Are you kidding? This thing makes me look like an idiot."

"You don't need any help in that department." Liz said, grinning.

Ava shook her head; "I want to see it. Please?"

Kyle sighed and put it back on. He waited for Ava's ridicule of the thing.

She didn't, she simply smiled.

"Not bad."

Kyle grinned, "Well, I guess I'll keep it then."

Liz and Isabel exchanged looks.

Later in the day, Seth had came in from class and didn't look all that happy to see them.

Max decided to go and see what the matter was.

Parked in front of the TV set turning on the X-Box, Seth avoided Max's inquiring look as he played through a level of Halo.

"What's the matter Seth? I feel like you're avoiding us."

Seth closed his eyes, "I was called into the Dean's office for that little disturbance yesterday. He's holding me responsible for it."

Max nodded, understanding what might have gone through the mind of the dean.

Ava stood in the doorway watching the both of them and was about to come in when Max held out a hand, telling her to stay back.

The last thing Max wanted was to have Seth feel that they were ganging up on him.

"How much trouble are you in?" Max asked.

Seth put down the controller and looked into Max's eyes.

"Let me put it this way, I want you guys out of here by tomorrow."

Max nodded. This had made them overstay their welcome.

"I understand. I'll go tell the others." Max said.

"Tell that creepy Ava to stop looking at me, while you're at it." Seth said, grudgingly.

Max didn't see Ava near the door anymore.

As Kyle was walking outside getting used to the new peripheral vision, he saw from his right eye, Ava running from the house and into the bus.

Following after her, he found her at the back of the bus, crying.

Kyle walked back and at next to her.

"What happened?" He asked.

He couldn't understand her as she responded in blurbs through her sobbing.

She then brought her head down ho his lad and laid the side of her head in his lap.

Again, Kyle had one of his various sexual scenarios go playing through his head on how this might turn out. He shaked it off, knowing to be the better person and just let her lay there crying and sobbing.

Kyle put his hand out and stroked her head, trying to shush her.

A little while later, she managed to get a grip and she sat upright.

"Sorry about that." She said.

Kyle nodded, "Looks like you needed it, though."

Ava laughed, "Everyone needs a broken heart once in a while, right?"

Knowing how stupid this was for him to lusting after someone who had her heart set on someone else; this wasn't unfamiliar territory for Kyle Valenti.

He knew fully well that unrequited love was a pain in the ass.

"Sorry Seth hasn't snapped to his senses."

Ava smiled and slugged him on the shoulder, "Again, you're too good to me? Why is that?"

Kyle smirked, "Do you really want the answer to that?"

Ava smiled and then, to Kyle's surprise leaned over and kissed him.

Kyle found it hard to explain what the kiss felt like. It was far different than when he used to kiss Liz, this was more explosive.

Ava drew her head back and smiled, "So?"

Kyle shook his head, "Now, that was…was…wait, why did you stop?"

She grinned all the more, "Just wanted to make sure."

Kyle grinned too and the two resumed.

* * *

"Well, Maria DeLuca, this is it; it's time." Larek said. Both him and Mar'di stood in the doorway along with a few others.

Maria nodded and Michael helped her up and on to the rolling bed. He was then replaced by two of Mar'di's assistants.

Michael squeezed her hand.

"I'll see you in there." He told her.

Maria gave him the look saying "You better be or your ass is grass."

As he made his way to the area Larek had told him to dress up for the birthing, Michael found himself halting as he heard a noise.

It sounded like Lira. More than that, it sounded like Lira screaming.

Running at full speed, Michael found himself outside in the courtyard and looking to the left of him, he found a man hovering over Lira with a jagged crimson blade.

Michael noticed that she had a wound near her abdomen.

Taking out his hand and knocking the blade away, the assailant then looked at Michael with piercing eyes.

He then turned back to Lira and Michael could hear him breathe, "This isn't over Lira. You're treachery will bring the end of Dior, soon." He then held up his palm and revealed a portal to which he jumped into and then vanished.

The guards came behind Michael and took notice of Lira, "What happened General Rath?" One asked him.

Michael shook his head, not fully understanding what occurred either.

"I'll find out later. Get Lira to a doctor, quickly."

Both guards nodded and went over to assist Lira.

Michael watched them take her away.

Michael tried to think what all of this could mean when he then remembered.

"Maria!"

Maria, amidst her heavy breathing and closing her eyes, looked up and saw Michael stumble in, his birthing garments hanging loosely to him.

"Aw, the Father's here." Mar'di said.

"My children have no father." Fumed Maria.

"Love you too." Michael said, giving his cocky grin.

Maria sighed, "Cut the crap, 'Spaceboy' and get over here!"

Michael did as he was commanded and knelt down beside Maria and let her crush his hand with hers.

Mar'di explained the process of what they were about to do.

"Here's how we'll begin, Maria will give birth like a normal human female does, after both offspring are out of her, then we'll being the second stage. This part is why you were needed here because Earth doesn't have the tools for this kind of labor. The cervix will keep on expanding long after the children have been jettisoned from the uterus. At the same time, Maria will be losing a great deal of amount of blood. We'll be able to control this. Now, Maria, are you ready?"

Maria took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright then, push!" Mar'di instructed.

Through the hour, Maria had managed to give birth to their son and daughter.

During that time, Michael could have sworn that he had lost his hand in the process.

As Mar'di had said, Maria's cervix was expanding at an alarming rate.

Mar'di along with his others assistants put blue powder on top of Maria's belly just as her vital signs seemed to drop.

Then, two of the assistants put their hands on her stomach and a both were humming.

A light appeared, and gradually, the cervix was starting to become smaller and smaller.

Maria looked into Michael's eyes; her grip still tight against his hands.

The light disappeared and Mar'di stood back.

"It is finished, congratulations to you both."

"Thanks, Mar'di." Michael said, nodding to him.

"You're quite welcome, General. For her pain, we will give her this sap from one of our Hangu trees, though mind you, take just enough for the pain."

Michael grinned, "Don't want you to be a druggie now do we?"

Maria slugged him, "Get me the damn sap!"

Later on, cradled in their arms, Michael and Maria looked down at the tiny people that they had brought into the universe.

Michael was unclear on what to think of the little person nestled in his arms.

"This is so weird." He said.

Maria nodded, "Isn't it wonderful, though?"

Michael shrugged.

"So, names…" Maria said.

Michael looked at her, surprise, "I was sure you had them picked out already."

Maria shook her head, "Guess again, 'Spaceboy'. I thought we should decide them together."

Michael nodded he then looked at the one he had in his arms, "Is this the boy or the girl?"

Maria smiled, "That's your daughter, Michael Guerin."

"Right." He said, "How about Madden?"

Maria sighed, "You're seriously going to name our daughter after a video game?"

Michael grinned, " "Madden" can be a girl's name. It can be short for Madeline."

Maria rolled her eyes, "Alright, if you say so."

"How about him?" Michael asked.

Maria smiled. She knew all along what she wanted to name the boy.

"Alex."

**_To be continued…_**

**_RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR_**

**A/N**: Phew! Man that took awhile and I apologize. Got writer's block a couple of times in there.

**A/N II**: Comments! Reviews! Cries for my head to be mounted on a pike! All of these are welcomed, so please REVIEW!!!

_**Q-n-P**_


	11. The Return to Roswell

As Max and the others were getting the bus ready to head south, Ava felt like she should say something to Zan.

He was standing outside his house along with Josh, both not wanting to help and both wanting to make sure that they were leaving.

Seth cringed as Ava made her way up to him.

"What now?" He asked.

Ava took a deep breath, "I'm sorry that we got you in trouble at your school, you know that wasn't our intention. We just wanted to make sure you were all right. After learning what happened after what Rath and Lonnie tried to do to you, I was convinced that you were still the person I grew up with. I can see now, you aren't."

Seth took a deep breath and said, "I have some weird nights where I remember things that felt like they happened in another life for me. You're there along with some other weirdos and for some reason I felt like that you guys were family for me, no matter how much it disturbed me."

Ava smiled, "Thank you."

Josh looked to the ground as he spoke, "Do you guys need food or anything?"

Ava shook her head, "Nah, we'll be fine. Take care and say thank you to your grandpa for letting us copy that picture he lent us."

Josh and Seth nodded and waived goodbye as Ava got on the bus with the others and drove away.

**Chapter Eleven: The Return to Roswell**

Michael had heard that Lira was coming out of recovery smoothly. What wasn't smooth was Maria's patience with Michael.

"Michael, you've to stop it with being so obsessed over this damn woman, this is becoming Courtney all over again; only this time this woman isn't stalking you."

Michael looked at Maria with hard eyes, "Maria, she could help me remember more about my past. It seems the more I'm with her the more I'm remembering of my life on Antar."

Maria started to laugh, " 'Your life on Antar', wait a minute. Weren't you the one who told me just recently that you had no interest in pursuing your Antarian heritage?"

Michael swallowed. She had him.

Maria sighed, "Look 'Spaceboy' if you want to dig up the past, fine go ahead, but do it quickly. Mar'di said that you and I would be able to go as soon as tomorrow back to Earth."

Michael looked at her, "I'm guessing you talked to Larek?"

Maria nodded, "It looks that he was told not to bring us here in the first place, and having us here puts him in a bad place, what with being neutral in the feud that's been going on with the five planets."

Michael smirked, "Tomorrow? Back on Earth?"

Maria nodded, "Our little 'get away' has come to an end."

They stood there in silence and Michael then looked up to Maria, "Are you sure that you're okay with me doing this?"

Maria sighed, "Just promise me that you're going to repay for all this obsession with obsession over me and the kids as soon as we return, alright?"

Michael nodded and walked over and kissed her, "Thanks."

Maria watched him leave and she then looked at the ring on her finger, wondering at all if this was still a safe bet.

Michael decided he would go and pay Lira a visit, hoping she could shed some light as to who that was the other day.

Going to her room, Michael knocked.

"Lira?"

There was no answer and when Michael knocked again, the door swung in.

Stepping inside, Michael felt the breeze from outside and noticed that the window was opened.

Coming into the room, Michael found the place in shreds.

"Lira!" Michael called.

He looked around and he soon found her outside the window lying on the ground outside, her arms and legs eerily looking like a child making a snow angel.

Looking in her room as to see if anything was left behind to identify her attacker. Looking around, the only thing he managed to find was a disk, this one was black.

Michael did not know exactly how to turn it on, instead he let it go from his hands, and once again it came alive and lit an image onto the wall.

Again, it was Khivar.

"_**You disappoint me, Lira. The task you were given was very simple. Now that Rath and his offspring live, there has been commotion among the five planets. You leave me little choice, your life is now useless and you've sentenced Dior to its end. "**_

Maria was just getting ready to go to sleep again when Michael burst through the doors.

"Spaceboy? What the hell!" She said, startled.

Michael walked over to her and held her tightly.

Just then Larek, followed by Mar'di and Kimond also came into the room.

"Are you two alright? How about your children?" Asked Larek, who looked as though he had ran here as well, seeing how his face was flushed.

Michael heaved a deep breath, "We're fine. The kids are fine."

Larek nodded, "Good. I regret to inform you that I'll be no longer able to guarantee your safety here. So, we're going to have to have the four of you leave Dior, tonight."

"What happened?" Asked Maria.

Kimond sighed, "Lira, our head household matridee, was murdered. Someone managed to slip in and out."

Maria looked to Michael in shock, "Oh, my God. Do you think they'll be after us or the kids next?"

Larek did not say anything; neither did Kimond.

Mar'di walked forward, "We'll be leaving in an hour, please be ready by then."

Michael nodded and turned to Maria, "Let's get the kids."

Maria nodded, but was scared by how much she didn't know.

Both Alex and Madeline were asleep and were not happy to be aroused.

While Michael had the kids, Maria tried desperately grabbing their things while trying to keep calm at the same time.

The four led by Mar'di left the estate and went back to the main road back to the shuttle, which would take them to the hangar where the ship was.

Upon getting the shuttle, All of them heard a loud, devastating noise, and looking back to the estate, a brilliant red light illuminated and when it dies down, half of Larek's home was in ruins.

"Oh, no." Maria said as she watched in terror.

Michael, putting the children inside, grabbed her arm.

"Maria, we need to get out of here!"

"But, but Larek…" She said, numbly.

Michael sighed, "I'm sure he knows what he's doing. We're still in danger, let's go."

Maria obeyed and stepped into the shuttle just as the doors hissed and closed in front of her.

By the time they had reached the hangar, Michael had felt their escape had seemed too easy.

He was right, as they approached the gate holding the ship; three men came out and held out weird looking rods in front of them.

"Halt! You are hereby arrested under the jurisdiction of his majesty King Khivar, be prepared for immediate inspection."

Michael had enough; holding out his hand he knocked one of the men down and away. Michael then grabbed Maria and lowered both of them to the ground, along with their kids, both cried out in fear and confusion.

"Michael!" She yelled.

Mar'di had managed to knock the second one out of the way, but the third one pointed it's pole at him, knocking him to the ground.

Green blood trailed down Mar'di's lips and he staggered.

Michael put out his hand and had the last soldier flying up in the air and colliding with the low hanging ceiling.

Michael looked to Maria and the kids, "Are you all right?"

Maria gave him an irritated look, then nodded. She then went over and helped up Mar'di, who was breathing shallowly.

"Get…get inside. You must…turn the dial…to ninety degrees." He said.

"Wait a minute, you're coming with us, aren't you?" Michael said.

Mar'di shook his head.

"I'm…afraid not, General. You must go now before…more arrive. Hurry!"

Maria looked to Michael to step in and interject but he didn't.

Michael bent down to Mar'di, "Thank you, Mar'di. Good luck."

Mar'di nodded and brushed the heads of the infants.

"Take good care of them, General." Mar'di then got up and grabbed one of the poles from a soldier and stood by the doorway.

Maria kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you for everything." She said.

Mar'di's face turned red. "You must go now."

Maria nodded and picked up their belongings and headed with Michael inside the hangar.

Michael laid the two infants down on the bed as he went to the front of the ship and looked at the console.

There literally hundreds on lights, and there was one dial.

As instructed, Michael turned it to a ninety-degree angle. After he did, an image flashed on the screen, that being of the Milkyway galaxy.

Maria had just joined him as he scratched his head.

"How the hell do we pick Earth?" Michael asked out loud.

"Earth." Said a voice.

The screen then showed the planet up close.

"Destination?" The voice asked.

Maria looked around, "Where is that coming from."

Michael didn't know, but he wasn't going to start looking for answers when war was happening outside.

Michael turned to Maria, "Where should we go?"

Maria said out loud, "Roswell, New Mexico."

The voice responded, "Estimated Time of Arrival: three hours and seventeen minutes."

Michael sighed out loud and then turned to Maria, "This is it."

Maria nodded, "We're going home, home to Roswell."

The two then watched as the ship turned itself up and towards the sky. To the amazement of both, neither of them turned with the ship.

They could hear the propulsion kick in and whir loudly and then they were flying out of the hangar and to the stars.

Michael and Maria walked back to their children, both were looking up behind them, watching as the stars darted by.

Michael picked up baby Alex as Maria picked up Madeline.

Michael pointed out the porthole window.

"Look at that, Alex. You see that? Those are stars."

Maria smiled watching the two of them.

She looked down at Madeline who gurgled happily as Maria bounced her up and down in her arms.

Soon they'd be coming home. Back to where it all began.

Something struck her though and she looked out the opposite porthole and watched, as Dior grew fainter in the background.

_Please, Larek, Mar'di, Kimond; be safe. All of you._ She said to herself.

* * *

Max, Isabel, and Jesse stood by the highway looking at a roadmap, trying to find whatever they could in a means of a new direction.

Liz, along with Kyle and Ava, who had become inseparable as of two days ago, watched a leaping Antelope was jumping across the field.

"Do you think Maria has had her babies yet?" Liz asked.

Kyle shrugged, "Don't know. I'd guess so, seeing how Tess had progressed."

Ava smiled, "I'll bet they're beautiful."

Liz nodded.

Kyle chucked a rock down the road as Max and the other two came up.

"Alright, back on board."

Kyle, shifted his eye patch, "Where to now?"

Max looked to Liz, "Oh, some place someone has had their heart set on for a long time."

Kyle grinned, "Oh, so we're going to the Playboy Mansion?"

This in turn got a slug in the shoulder, from Ava.

"Ow! Hey!"

Max shook his head and Liz's eyes lit up.

"No! The Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral!"

Max nodded.

Liz squealed in joy and hugged Max fiercely.

As soon as she let go Max turned to the other two.

"Well, let's go."

* * *

Just as they were slowly going by Neptune, Maria laid little Madeline next to her brother who had fallen asleep before her.

Maria smiled, as she looked down at these two.

These were her children, their children, and boy did they look awesome.

Maria then walked to the front of the ship where Michael was looking watching the planets in their rotations and orbits.  
Maria sat on his lap and put her arms around his neck and kissed him and the two looked out.

"Pretty." Maria said.

Michael nodded, "I now wish I paid attention in remedial science."

As the ship was coming upon Saturn, with Titan, Saturn's moon, coming close into view, Maria sighed.

"What is it?" Michael asked.

Maria looked at the ring on her finger. "Michael, why all of a sudden did you want to marry me?"

Michael went quiet.

Maria had expected him to try to come up with either a lame excuse or a romantic one. What she was hoping for was an honest one.

He sighed, "Well, for starters, I love you. You know that right?"

Maria nodded.

"Second. It all came from when I was being tortured by that psycho path."

Maria wasn't sure what to say. His decision to get married to her was based on being tortured?

Michael continued, "I thought I was going to die. Even worse, was that I'd never hear your voice again. See your face, smell your strange essences that you put on yourself. All that, gone. I told myself that I wanted to never leave your side again, and I wanted to make sure that we never left eachother because of our disagreements. After all, there isn't another Maria DeLuca out there."

Maria wiped a tear away as she turned Michael's head and kissed him.

"Thank you." She said.

Michael smiled.

To their amazement, they had just passed Jupiter already and now were coming through the asteroid belt and up to Mars. Earth being a little blue dot behind it.

"We're almost there." Maria said.

Michael nodded, "We're almost home."

The voice of the ship came back on.

"Destination, closing in. Do you wish for cloaking upon arrival?"

Michael and Maria nodded.

"Yes." They both said, in unison.

As Jim Valenti was driving back from Santa Fe, he felt his cell phone ring.

The special one.

Pulling over, he got to it immediately.

"This is Jim are you guys all right?"

"That depends on what you mean by "all right", this kid has to stop eating!"

"Spaceboy, hush, and change your son. Deputy Valenti?"

Jim grinned big.

"Well I'll be…You're back! Where are you?"

"Uh, we're standing outside of the Gringo's Café about, say, twenty miles from town?" Maria answered.

Jim nodded, "I'll be there shortly."

"Make sure he gets some more diapers, cause this guy is going to go through the ones we have." Michael said, in the background.

"Michael, my mother gave us plenty. Oh, thanks, Mr. Valenti; see you soon." Maria said and then hung up.

It took Jim little over twenty minutes but he arrived there just to see Michael and Maria, both holding a baby.

Jim got out of the suv and tilted his hat back as came up to the two.

"How was your trip?" he asked.

"Eventful." Michael said as he bounced Madeline on his knee.

Jim grinned at the two babies.

"Who do we have here?"

"This is Alex and the little angel with my big angel is Madeline." Said Maria.

Jim put his hand out and Alex grabbed it and tugged.

"Well, it's starting to get cold out, better get you four home." Jim said and helped with their things as they got into the suv.

"Have you heard from the others?" Maria asked.

Jim shook his head. "Max told us to let you guys call us, not the other way around."

Michael shook his head, "Maxwell…"

"We tried calling them, but they weren't answering." Maria said.

Jim turned on the ignition.

"Well, let's get you guys home and then we'll try them again, ok?"

Both nodded and cradled the infant in their arms.

It took about thirty minutes but they made it back to Roswell.

To Maria's surprise, they came to Valenti's house.

"Is my mom staying the night?" She asked.

Jim chuckled nervously, "Uh, no she isn't."

Michael understood what was going on. "She moved in with you, right?"

Maria looked at Michael and then back at Jim.

Jim nodded.

Maria smiled, "I'm happy that you're taking care of her."

Jim smiled, "Thank you, Maria."

As soon as they parked, the lights in the house came on and Amy and Laurie came outside.

"Jim, you said you were going to be back by…" Amy stopped and froze seeing not only her daughter and Michael but also what they had in their hands.

Amy walked up and hugged her daughter, "Oh, Maria, Thank God you're okay!"

Maria nodded.

Amy then looked down at the figure in her arm, "Who's this?"

Maria smiled, "This is Alex, mom. I…well you know why."

Amy nodded. She then bent down low and scooped up Alex into her Arms, shushing him as he made little sounds.

Laurie walked up to Michael, "So, how was life on another planet?"

Michael thought for a moment then shrugged, "It had its moments."

Laurie looked to the baby, "May I?"

Michael then passed off Madeline to her.

"What's her name?" Laurie asked.

"Madden." Michael said.

"Madeline." Maria corrected him.

Jim winked at Michael; "Good name."

All seven of them went in and Jim called up Jeff and Nancy on their private cell phone and had them bring over some food to celebrate the arrival.

* * *

Arriving in Florida and then at the Kennedy Space Center, the group had their "masks" on and were looking in awe at everything they saw.

Outside, were large screens showcasing previous launches and media pertaining to what was happening in space.

Watching the screens, an image came on that showed a large black, strange object going by Mars and then completely disappearing.

Kyle saw this and smiled he then called the others over on the handsets they had.

Once everyone was there, Kyle pointed to the screen.

Watching Liz hugged Max.

"Could it be them?"

Isabel was asking the same question in her head.

"Let's find out." Max said.

The group headed back to the parking lot and got on the bus.

Once inside, Max pulled out his cell phone and called Jim Valenti.

"Max? Is that you guys?" He asked.

Max nodded, "Yeah it's us. We're wondering if Michael and Maria had came back yet."

Jim laughed, "Oh, they're here and they're not alone, either."

Liz jumped up and down, "She had her babies?"

Max nodded.

Isabel and Liz gave out to girlish giggles while, Jesse, Kyle, and Ava thought they looked nuts.

"Are you going to come and see us?" Jim asked.

Max looked to the group, "Should we?"

Liz nodded and so did Isabel.

Jesse shrugged and both Kyle and Ava did likewise.

"We'll be there hopefully soon." Max replied.

* * *

The next couple of days were happy ones, as Amy and Maria were taking the two wide-eyed infants out for a stroll to the park.

Sitting on the bench watching the tow play with their UFO rattles, Amy looked at her daughter and smiled.

"How does it feel, to be a Mom?"

Maria sighed, "Tiring, yet wonderful. These two are a handful, but I can't see another day in my life without them in it."

Amy nodded, "That's how I felt when I had you."

Maria smiled, "Michael's still adjusting to all of this. He panics in the middle of the night and runs to them to make sure they're still there."

Amy laughed, "I know. He wakes up Jim and I when doing so."

"How's that going for you?" Maria asked.

Amy smiled, "Perfect."

"Really?" Maria asked.

Amy nodded.

Maria watched the two looking at a leaf that was falling near the stroller, watching it till it fell past their view.

Maria then looked out into the playground and saw someone go behind a tree.

At first Maria wasn't sure what she saw. She rubbed her eyes.

Amy seemed to notice, "Maria? Are you alright?"

Maria nodded and yawned, "Just tired."

Amy patted her hand, "C'mon let's get you to bed."

By the time they had gotten home, there was a message left on Jim's private cell from Max saying they were just leaving Alamogordo, Texas and should be there by the evening.

Michael had been helping out at the Crashdown Café, under a "mask", of course, and had just come to the Valenti/DeLuca house as the bus pulled into the driveway.

Michael smiled as Max and the others came out.

Max came out and hugged him hard.

"Welcome back, Michael." He said.

Michael nodded.

Isabel and Jesse came up and both hugged and shook his hand.

Michael looked in worry when he saw Kyle.

"What's with the patch?"

Kyle shrugged, "Felt good."

Ava sighed, "It's actually a long story, but ends happy."

Michael nodded and followed everyone in.

While Liz and Isabel were attending with the babies, Michael, along with Maria, Jim, Amy, and Laurie listened to the group talk about what had happened in New Haven.

"Unfortunately we ran into Agent Barns, again." Max said.

Michael and Jim looked to Kyle.

"Kyle, what happened to your eye?" Jim asked.

Kyle sighed and took it off and opened his eye.

Amy, Maria, and Laurie looked in horror at its disconfiguration and weakened, milky-white, look.

Jim walked up and put his hands on his son's shoulders, "Did he do this to you?"

Kyle made a smug smile and nodded.

Michael scowled, "Please tell me that he's not still out there?"

Ava shook her head, "Nope. He's dead."

Jim sighed out of relief. He then looked to Max, "Max have you tried to heal this?"

Max nodded, "It was a lot worse. But, this was the best I could do."

Jim groaned and hugged his son.

* * *

While the others talked with Maria about her time on Dior and meeting the actual Larek, Max and Michael looked down at the two sleeping infants.

"They're amazing." Max said.

Michael nodded, "This has to be the only right thing I've ever done."

Max patted him on the back, "Don't sell yourself short."

Michael shrugged and bent down and brushed away a strand of hair from his son's head.

"So, what are you and Maria going to do about them?" Max asked.

Michael got up and looked at him, "What do you mean?"

Max really wanted this to be encouraging as well as truthful.

"Are you going to have them put up?"

Michael coughed, while trying to laugh, "For adoption? Are you serious?"

Max nodded.

Michael shook his head, "No way. Besides Maria would kill me if I even thought that."

Max shook his head and he sighed.

"Michael, wherever you take them, your problems will be there for them as well."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, that, do you really want that for them?"

Michael paced back and forth, "Max, I know I'm not the optimistic type, life sucks, but I do think that there will be moments that we'll be given breaks."

Max looked at Michael in alarm, "That's dangerous and naïve, don't you think?"

Michael rubbed his eyes, "Maxwell, while I appreciate the advice you give me, please don't ask me to do this. These are my kids."

"Our kids." Maria said as she walked into the room.

"Maria…" Max began.

Maria shook her head, "Max, I know giving up Zan has torn you apart, trying to find him did even more so. While I empathize with what you went through, I don't agree with you on your choice. Not now."

"Agent Barns is dead, but someone else will take his place and after that another, it won't end. We'll never be stopped from being hunted. Nor will these children if you choose to continue having them in your lives." Max said.

Michael sighed, "Well, Max there's another thing. Both of our kids have my DNA. So, it won't exactly be peachy for them no matter where they end up. When they come of age, they'll live out our horrors and nightmares. I think it'd be best if they're with us when it happens, don't you?"

Maria watched as Max struggled for an answer while at the same time, she noticed outside a man standing next to a tree.

"Michael." Maria called out.

Michael went to her and she pointed out to the unmoving person.

Michael went outside followed by Max, Isabel, Liz, Kyle, and Ava while the others remained at the entryway.

Coming closer, a second man appeared.

Or rather a twelve year old boy.

Michael recognized him immediately.

"Niico!"

Nicholas smirked.

"Wow, I see my old name hasn't out lasted its charm."

The second man stepped forward, "Vilandra, so good to see you again."

Isabel froze as she felt something very familiar.

"Khivar." She whispered.

_**To be continued…**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N:** Now, I know this doesn't have the feel like the other chaps, but be patient. You won't want to miss this.

**A/N II**: To tell the truth, I'm not sure if I'm going to go past twelve chapters. Not that I'm running out of ideas, it's just the way the reviews for each chapter seem to be smaller than I've anticipated. I Dunno, I'll see the reviews on this one and go from there.

**A/N III**: You guys need to put out your reviews if you want this to go further, those who have, my deepest thanks. Again, I'll see what to do after looking at the reviews on this one.

_**Q-n-P**_


	12. Antar's Last Stand

Staring at the number two on the analog clock located on the wall outside his cell, Robert Tucker watched as the longer of the two hands, on the face of the clock, moved weakly and then rested on number twelve.

Robert was nervous. He hadn't expected her to listen to him when he had talked to her on the phone. He was even more surprised when she said that she'd be willing to come over to this place to meet with him in person.

Two minutes after the hour, he saw her.

Long raven-hair, dressed in a professional gray suit, and wearing her thin glasses.

To add to his surprises, she smiled upon seeing him.

One of the guards had left a folding chair outside of his cell for her, and she set down her briefcase as she sat.

"Hi, Rob." She said.

Robert nodded to her, "Helen."

Neither had spoken, just looking at eachother, until Helen retrieved her briefcase.

"I've looked over your case and it seems there are holes in how you were arrested and the charges your being accused of."

Robert hadn't heard a word she said. "How's April?"

Helen smiled, "She's fine, Rob. She's a little confused as to why her daddy is in prison, but other than that she's fine."

Robert nodded.

Helen leaned in closer to Robert, "The only thing missing from the case against you is the identities of those you were accused of harboring and aiding. Believe me, after a long talk, the prosecutor will have no choice but to let you go."

Robert smiled, "Thank you, Helen." He then walked to the back of his cell and brought out a stack of hand written papers.

"Can you do one more thing for me?" He asked.

"Sure, what?" Helen asked.

"I need to give these to someone in the media. What happened with me was just the tip of the iceberg. There are things in here that will open the eyes of a lot of people. Are you still on good terms with Joyce?"

Helen nodded.

"Well, get these to her. I imagine her boss will be very interested by what I have to give them." He then slid the papers through the bars and Helen retrieved them.

"This isn't going to get you into any more trouble, is it, Rob?" Helen sighed, putting the papers away into her briefcase.

Robert shook his head, "Far from it. This might actually make me a hero."

**Chapter Twelve: Antar's Last Stand**

Khivar snapped his fingers and a portal immerged behind him. From it, came out half a dozen soldiers.

Khivar instructed them, "Get the offspring, kill anyone that stand in your way."

Every soldier nodded and proceeded forward.

As it so happens, every one of them got shot back by the six standing in front of the house.

The soldiers didn't remain grounded for long, as each one quickly got back onto their feet and then held out their poles.

Michael, Ava, and Max managed to avoid the shots, but the others found themselves diving to avoid getting hit.

The soldiers then advanced towards the Valenti/DeLuca residence.

Ava used her powers to have them going in the opposite direction while Max sent a shot that had brought Nicholas to his knees.

Khivar sent a shot that hit Ava on the shoulder, thus disabling her mental power over the soldiers.

"Go, you fools!" Khivar shouted.

While Kyle helped Ava up, Michael and Liz attacked the first two soldiers that were coming in close.

Isabel locked onto the weather vane on top of Jim's house and had it sent hurtling towards one of the soldiers.

As Nicholas got himself up, he made a motion to move out, when Khivar put a hand on his shoulder.

"No, not yet." He said.

Back at the house, Maria knew what those soldiers objective was. She turned to Jim.

"Help me get the kids out of here."

Jim nodded and along with Jesse and Sean ran inside and helped carry the kids out and to the back of the house, where Jim's suv was parked.

Jesse carried Madeline who was crying having been awoken.

While Maria got into the suv with Alex in her arms, Jim started the car and Sean made sure they had pulled out before getting in with them.

Amy and Laurie came out of the house, asking what was going on.

Having no time to explain, Maria ushered them in and Jim stepped on the gas and drove away from the house and onto the road.

Michael watched as the Jim's suv was off in the distance.

"_Good thinking, Maria."_ He thought to himself.

His attention was brought back as a soldier attempted to strike at him with its rod.

Michael held up his hands to protect himself and then watched as the soldier went flying over head.

Liz, standing nearby nodded to him, and Michael nodded in turn.

Ava and Kyle stood with their backs to each other as they struck out against any soldier that made their way near them.

Meanwhile, Max and Isabel were having gravel from the driveway come shooting out and halting any soldiers coming close to either them or the house.

Khivar was getting impatient, as was Nicholas who eagerly wanted to join in on the melee and attack the six.

As time went on, the soldiers were staggering and out of breath.

The six, however maintained their energy and only used minor attacks against this horde.

Khivar sighed and snapped his fingers.

Each of the soldiers vanished one by one.

Nicholas looked at him, questioningly.

Khivar said in a low voice, "This is just the beginning."

He waived his hand and a portal appeared. Both he and Nicholas went in it and vanished.

* * *

Looking over his surveillance cameras on that day that Max and the others hid out in the UFO Center, Brody was looking at himself on screen in confusion. 

Ever since he found himself in the woman's lavatory, Brody was certain that Max and his friends were keeping something from him.

Brody had installed cameras, as well as, hearing devices that would amplify a whisper to be heard as of someone were yelling.

Brody had been rewatching the night that the FBI had kidnapped Max and the others, most importantly the conversation he was having with Maria and Amy DeLuca.

This wasn't him though. The manner, in which he spoke, and the discussion; were not made by him.

That and the DeLuca women were calling him "Larek".

All this time, Brody had imagined that he was being transported to some far off place, but by what he was seeing contradicted that.

He was being possessed.

Listening to the dialogue had him even more confused and asking more questions. The entire discussion was about Maria's unborn children. The person inhibiting Brody seemed to be of knowledgeable source of the subject and was giving dire news to Maria.

This new information about Maria startled him. She was carrying alien babies, as the video would suggest.

Brody rubbed his eyes out of the drained, tiredness that was coming to them.

His attention was snapped to alert, when he heard the doors to the UFO Center open and a voice calling.

"Brody? Are you here?"

It was Maria's.

Turning off the set, Brody got up and stretched for a moment before heading out the door of his office and down to the ground level.

Upon getting out of his office, he looked down to see, not only Maria, Deputy Valenti, Jesse, and Sean; but two babies.

Brody was staring at the two, curious, infants. Both looking around in wonder at the environment that had just been brought into.

Brody slowly went down the stairs, taking into account of what he had heard and seen on screen about these tow and then looking at the actual things.

Yet, these looked perfectly human.

Questions seemed to stack up onto more questions and Brody suddenly realized with all his feverish staring, he failed to notice that Maria had said something to him.

"I'm sorry. What?"

Maria smiled, "We were wondering if we could stay here, for awhile until Michael and the others come to pick me and the kids up?"

Brody decided it would be better to play host until he could find a time to ask his questions.

"Not a problem. I see you finally have your young'uns."

Maria smiled, "Yeah, I did."

* * *

Michael had figured, along with the others, where Maria and the rest had gone. 

Coming inside to the UFO Center, Michael found Maria, along with Brody, playing with the two kids on the floor of the center.

Jim and Jesse were playing a game of Jinn Rummy and Sean was asleep.

Amy was talking on her cell, in the corner, and Laurie was the first one to notice their arrival.

"So, is it over? Are they gone?"

Everyone else, minus Sean, looked to the group that had just came in.

Michael scratched his eyebrow, "Yes and no. Yes, they have left but I'm not so sure it's over yet."

"Should I get the bus ready, so we can head out again?" Asked Jesse.

The question seemed to hang.

While Max felt that they could run, running to where, would be the ultimate question.

Michael looked to Maria and he saw how her eyes looked. More likely, what they were saying. Michael too felt what he knew Maria must have been feeling.

"I'm going to stay." He said, "We're going to stay." He walked over to Maria and Brody, scooping up Alex into his arms.

"Michael…" Isabel began.

Michael shook his head. "I'm tired, you guys. Tired of playing it safe and running when it gets dangerous. If Khivar and Nicholas want me dead, they're going to have to put up one hell of a fight to do it."

Maria looked up at Michael and smiled. She knew what he really meant and yet, his words were of himself and the struggle that all of them had been through for these many years.

Max walked over and sighed, "I'm tired too. That and I believe we're running out of options on where to go. No matter where we'd go, Khivar would follow. No, it's time to stop running."

Both Kyle and Ava walked over.

"Well, if you're game…" Kyle said.

Liz walked over and hugged Max, "I'm with you all the way."

Isabel was the only one left on the otherside of the room.

She was scared. Scared that they were blindly fighting something so massive. Yet, she knew fully that Max was right. Khivar had plans for their destruction, and he wasn't about to give up.

Isabel sighed as she walked over. Jesse got up and hugged her.

"So, what's the plan?" She asked.

Michael looked to Brody; "Can Maria and the kids stay here?"

Brody smiled, "Better, they can come to my house. I know Sydney will be thrilled to see Maria again, and even more so to have babies in the house."

Amy and Laurie walked up to him, "How much room do you have?"

Brody grinned, "Plenty."

"Well, that settles that, what should we do?" Kyle asked.

* * *

As Robert was signing the release papers and getting back his items that were taken, upon getting put into custody, Helen walked up with a broad smile across her face. 

Robert saw her and smiled, "I take it that you heard something good?"

Helen nodded, "Joyce is going to owe you big time. Her boss flipped! He wants to meet you in person sometime soon."

Robert hugged her, "Thank you, Helen."

She kissed him on the cheek. "You're welcome."

Leading him outside to her parked Subaru, the passenger door opened and a little girl, dressed in yellow, came running to Robert.

"Daddy!" She yelled, happily.

Robert bent down and made contact with her as she came into his arms.

A tear formed in Robert's eye as he hugged his daughter, April.

* * *

While the group talked amongst themselves, Jim and Amy sat with Michael, Maria, and the kids on the floor of the UFO Center. 

"Are you sure about this? Running may be your best option." Jim said.

Maria shook her head, "No. Like Michael said, we're tired. This has got to stop."

Amy sighed, "But what about your children? What will you do if…"

"Stop." Maria said.

Michael sighed, "We don't know what's going to happen. But we can't keep on running for the rest of our lives, either. Khivar wants me the kids dead. He wants all traces of the royal family dead. There's no running from him either." Michael, again, moved away a strand of hair from his daughter's eyes. "These tow are what were fighting for. A chance for them to grow up and live without fear, the fear we've come to known."

"Uh, You guys!" Kyle said. He was standing by the entrance to the building and was ushering everyone over with his arm.

As soon as everyone came they looked out.

On the side of the Ashby's Plumbing office, burning in big purple letters was "SUNSET – THE DESERT. OR THE DUPES DIE!"

" "The Dupes"? What does that mean?" Asked Jim.

Ava soon was startled, "Rath and Lonnie!"

Michael, Max, Liz, Kyle, Ava, and Isabel had left moments after.

Maria had remained with her mother and Laurie at the UFO Center until driven over to Brody's home by Brody himself.

Jesse, Jim, and Sean followed in Jim's suv.

Upon arrival to Brody's, Sydney seemed to anticipate her father's return as she was standing outside the house when they had arrived.

"Daddy! Maria!" She called out as she ran to her father.

Maria smiled. She remembered at one point in her life, after a feud with Michael and learning how ill Sydney was at the time, how she wanted to become a permanent involvement Brody and Sydney's lives.

Liz helped her see the error of taking such a leap, yet Maria, lately, would at some moments, think of a life might have happened with her and Sydney and Brody.

Upon seeing the babies, Amy and Laurie were bringing in, Sydney went into a joyful hysteria of "aww's" and "How cute".

As soon as all of them were inside, Brody turned to Maria.

"Maria, when you have a moment can I talk to you about something?"

Maria nodded, "You can talk with me now, if you like."

Brody sighed and sat down on the cement stairs leading to his front door.

"I found out what's been happening to me for all these years."

Maria sat down next to him; "You mean the abductions?"

Brody laughed, "Abductions? Yeah, right. No, I've seen what I've been doing and it's becoming clearer. It wasn't an abduction at all. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Maria gulped, "What?"

Brody smiled, "I saw you and your mother talking to me, but not me, on the surveillance cameras I had installed after I woke up in the woman's loo. Something told me, from watching that conversation, that this wasn't the first time I've done this around you, or the others."

Maria closed her eyes and nodded. "It's true."

Brody looked away.

Maria looked at him, "Are you angry with me?"

Brody shrugged, "I should be, but I'm not. I think I'm just relieved that I was right on having been visited by aliens. I'm a little pained that you never trusted me enough to tell me, though."

Maria sighed, "We never knew how the news would affect you. I'm sorry, Brody."

Brody smiled at her, "It's alright. So tell me, now that I'm in the know, what about your friends. Are they from around here?"

Maria smiled and shook her head. She then pointed her finger up to the sky.

Brody laughed, "I had employed an alien. Wow."

Maria smiled, "That's nothing. I got knocked up by one."

This, in turn, made Brody laugh again. Once he had stopped, he looked back at the house and then to Maria.

"I find it amazing that they look so human, though."

Maria shrugged, "I found that interesting too, but seeing as how Michael's half human, and I'm fully human; I guess it all works out this way."

Brody nodded, "Thank you for being straight with me, Maria."

Maria sighed, "I'm sorry it came so late."

Brody shrugged, "Better late than never. Let's go inside."

He helped up Maria and the two then proceeded back on in.

* * *

It was hard to miss where Khivar and Nicholas were, they seemed to make it blatantly obvious by attacking the wheel of the bus. 

Having only the tire punctured, Kyle managed to get control of the wheel and the brakes to have them come to a skidding halt.

As everyone came out the bus, they noticed, about a few yards ahead of them; Khivar and Nicholas, both having their hands resting on the back of the heads of Rath and Lonnie.

Despite their previous feelings towards the dupes, the entire group knew that they needed to get those two out of the way.

Khivar smiled when all of them had came out of the bus.

"So glad you could come. An execution deserves an audience."

Nicholas grinned, "These two have been on my list for quite sometime; Now that you're all here, I need to make some extra space."

"Oh, and don't worry about interruptions, there won't be any." Khivar said and he then snapped his fingers.

Behind the group emerged seventeen soldiers who gathered in a semi-circle around the group. All had their poles pointed directly at each person.

Max knew this was bad, them being completely cornered and their chance to save the two seemed grim.

Max looked at the space between the victims' head's and Khivar and Nicholas' hands'.

Or was it?

This would be tricky, but Max thought he should give it a try.

"Now, on with the ceremony." Said Khivar.

At that time, Max then raised his hand and managed it to come between the two captives and their tormentors.

After doing so, Khivar and Nicholas found their powers coming back at them, knocking them off their feet in the process.

As if it were a cue, Isabel, Liz, Kyle and Ava turned around and started attacking the soldiers around them.

Michael and Max rushed forward and pulled Rath and Lonnie away, untying them quickly, as they did.

As soon as they were free from their bonds, both held up their hands to knock Nicholas further away from the area.

"Take that, you little runt." Rath said.

Lonnie went back to the others and joined next to Ava, helping her up as she was hit by the power of one of the soldier's pole.

Rath, Michael, and Max came forward to deal with Khivar who had just gotten back on his feet.

He glared at the three and held his hand up to knock Michael away.

Rath and Max came up and both held out their hands managing to knock Khivar off of the ground and land on a large rock nearby.

With the help of Lonnie, the rest of the group managed to get rid of every soldier that came their way. The only damage that had been done was mild. Ava had a black eye and bruised legs, Kyle had gotten a cut across his cheek, and Liz had been winded.

As Nicholas came over and helped Khivar up, the rest of the group joined up with Max, Rath, and Michael.

Khivar growled in anger. He then put his hands on the ground and soon an enormous amount of dirt and sand, from the ground, came flying at the group.

Max shielded his eyes and found it hard to see through the dust.

The others struggled with it as well. All, either, shielding their eyes or groping through, trying to find an area that was clear.

There was a loud grunting sound followed by a loud noise.

It sounded like it came from one from the group.

Max knew they had to get rid of this mess.

Holding up his hands, Max made wave after wave of green energy push the sand and dirt away from him and then the area.

As it began to dissipate, he noticed a figure lying on the ground.

Taking in account, as things became visible again, on who were standing; Max could only guess who had fallen.

"Rath!" Lonnie shouted.

A scorched handprint was burnt on the back of his head. Both of his nostrils and his ears had blood coming out of them.

Just before Lonnie could reach him, a small pebble came whizzing through the air at a fantastic speed and went right through her head, like a bullet through a watermelon.

Lonnie fell to the ground quickly.

Horror and outrage filled the remainder and all turned to see Nicholas and Khivar smiling.

Khivar had more pebbles in the air, but little did it good, when Liz, Ava, Kyle, and Isabel had him sprawling to his knees. Blood flowing down his mouth.

He snapped his fingers causing a portal to appear.

_No._ Thought Michael, _Not again._

Michael ran with all his might to the duo retreating.

Khivar was the first to enter, but Nicholas had only one step to go.

Michael tackled him to the ground.

Nicholas raised his hand only to have it slammed back down to the ground as Michael held it down.

Michael, with his free hand, lay punch after punch to Nicholas' boyish face.

Breaking the nose in the process.

His face, a bloody mess, Nicholas flashed a set of red stained teeth, "Go…go ahead…Lira got what she…deserved."

Michael picked Nicholas off of the ground and turned him around.

"And so will you, Niico." Michael said as he rammed his knee against the device on Nicholas' back, destroying the husk and him.

As the dust that was once Nicholas blew away in the cold night air, none of the group made any comments or congratulatory remarks about vanquishing one of their enemies. Instead, their eyes were on the cold slumped forms of Rath and Lonnie.

* * *

Maria was relieved to see the group return; yet something told her it wasn't a victory. The looks on the faces suggested triumph, yet loss at the same time. 

It wasn't until Michael had come to her and hugged her. That she realized someone had died.

To her shock, it was more than one.

No matter how Rath and Lonnie had disgusted her, she felt that their deaths deeply saddened her.

Michael told her very slowly on what had happened in the desert and how without Rath and Lonnie's aid, there would have been probably more than two deaths.

Michael kissed her and she looked up at him with watery eyes.

"What?" He asked.

"You…you could have died out there, Michael." She said in a whisper.

Michael sighed, "But I didn't. I'm here aren't I?"

Maria pressed her face against his chest and made shallow breathing sounds, and quiet sobs.

Michael kissed the top of her head, "How are the kids?"

Maria then removed her head from Michael, wiped away the moisture from her eyes, and smiled; "They're fine. Sydney's been ecstatic that they are here and has been helping me. I'm going down there to tuck them in, wanna come?"

Michael shook his head, "I need a shower. Meet you back here?"

Maria nodded and left.

She went downstairs and walked past the fireplace, seeing Brody and Sydney snuggled up and asleep in the large armchair had Maria smiling.

Going around the corner, she went into the room where the bassinets were.

Both Alex and Madeline were already in their places.

Isabel came up to her, "I'm sorry. Liz and I thought you and Michael had already crashed."

Maria shrugged, "No biggie. Did you give them their rattles? Madeline, especially, loves to hug her rattle while she sleeps."

Isabel shook her head, "No, I didn't. I saw them in the other room, I'll go get them." Isabel then left and Maria looked down at her two.

_Good thing your father's brave. Sometimes, I don't think anything will shake him_.

Maria then sang, in a low tune of "You and Me" By Lifehouse, as she slowly rocked both of the bassinets.

She stopped when she saw a hand come from behind her to her shoulder and then it went up and grabbed her throat.

Maria couldn't make a sound, she could only gurgle in response to being choked. Then, there was a flash of light and Maria soon found her vision being blinded by dazzling colors and then darkness…

Isabel was just returning with the rattles when she froze.

Staring into the room where Maria was lying on the ground and Khivar was standing over her, he then turned towards the bassinets.

Isabel knew there would be no way for everyone to come down in time, and she alone didn't have enough power to stop him.

Isabel looked to Maria. _Is…is she dead?_ Isabel's head filled with fright seeing her friend lying on the floor. It then turned to fury as she saw him bend over one of the bassinets.

Looking around, Isabel saw on Brody's desk was a letter opener.

Khivar looked down at the sleeping baby and smiled.

Taking these two back with him would be enough to somehow make the duplicates of the royal family do whatever he wished; mostly, Vilandra.

He reached down only to stop as he felt like he was in extreme pain.

Khivar found it hard to breathe and he could taste blood coming to his mouth from his throat.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Isabel lean forward and talk into his ear.

"I told you, you would die from my hands next time we met, Khivar. By my hands alone."

Khivar looked down and saw the point of some sort of blade protruding from his chest.

Isabel twisted the handle causing even more pain to Khivar he found everything going cold around him and eventually the world seemed to dissolve and then became black.

Isabel stepped back as Khivar fell to the floor with a loud thud. So loud, both babies awoke and cried.

Isabel bent low to see how Maria was and she looked at her in shock.

Maria's eyes were opened yet, unmoving. Putting two fingers to her neck, Isabel sighed.

She was still alive.

Isabel then shook her, "Maria? Maria?"

Nothing happened. Maria still lay there with her arms and legs spread about like she was boneless. Her face was that of a porcelain doll.

Isabel stood back in terror.

_What happened to her?_

Michael soon came bursting through the room, he then saw Khivar's body lying on the floor.

"Is he dead?"

Isabel nodded.

Michael heaved a sigh and then looked to where Isabel was looking.

"Maria?" Michael bent down and shook her and her head limply fell down and went from side to side.

Michael's eyes went wide.

"Max!!!"

* * *

It turned out that, whatever Khivar had done to Maria, had her slip into a catatonic state. She was like a statue, totally unaware and unresponsive to what was going around her. 

Dr. Raymond Forrester had her treated with Amobarbital, a series of barbiturates.

It was unclear as to when she would come around, the span could take as long as her life.

Michael, absorbing what he was being told, found himself only being able to do one thins and one thing only.

He cried.

* * *

While Michael, along with Amy, Jim and Laurie were at the hospital, everyone else was at the Crashdown, their minds in the dumps. 

"Max, you shouldn't blame yourself. You can't know what you're able to heal and what you can't." Liz said.

Max sighed, "I just wish could be there for Michael. This gift of mine feels like it's not doing what it should. I couldn't heal Michael's injuries without him scarring in the process and Kyle's eye would not go back to the way it was."

Kyle shrugged, "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather have it looking like this rather than having to go through life with one eye."

Ava nodded, "Don't beat yourself up over this, Max. There are the battles that can't be one. Rath and Lonnie taught me that."

The names of the two who had died, brought even more gloom to the Café.

Jeff Parker was talking on the phone nearby and was suddenly excited.

"Really? You're kidding me."

Liz looked to her father, questioningly.

Jeff had gotten off the phone and turned to the group.

"You guys, I think you should see what's happening on "Angela Cranford's report"."

Jeff turned up the volume as the group came and gathered in front of the set that was in the high corner.

A blonde woman was on screen, with an underlining headline, below her saying "Teens being hunted down as aliens."

"…_**and you're saying that the FBI wanted these teens dead?"**_

The group looked in shock and surprise when they saw Agent Robert Tucker on the screen.

He shook his head, _**"No. Not the FBI, but a secret department of it which I had previously worked for and have files on. This Special Unit was created with sole purpose to hunt down any alien life in the United States. What these people actually did was terrorize, manipulate, and in some cases, brutally assault people into giving their, supposed knowledge about individuals they believed were extra terrestrial beings."**_

The woman nodded, _**"So, what you're saying is that these teens are being accused of being little green men?"**_ She started to laugh.

Robert nodded, _**"The FBI's Special Unit had made it their goal to hunt these kids down and in the most serious cases torture them into telling them what the Special Unit wanted to hear."**_

To the group's surprise and disgust, an image was shown on screen on Michael before Max had healed him.

"I didn't know there were cameras in that room, did you?" Asked Liz to Max.

Max shook his head, "No, I didn't either."

Angela shook her head and then turned her face to the camera, _**"Well there you have it, our government doing it's **__finest__**. I cannot even begin to describe how offended and terrified I am that my government has stooped to such levels of barbarism. We have only a little time left, Agent Tucker is there anything you want to say?"**_

Robert nodded, _**"I just want to let those kids who're being persecuted to know, that this is my job now. To free you from being hunted. To make sure that what's happened to all of you will never be repeated."**_

_**To be continued….**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N**: Ask and ye shall receive. I have finished up some outlines for some other chapters, so rest assured, "Roswell: A Lovers' Journey" will go on for more chapters.

**A/N II**: Despite this one being short, There is a lot more at stake here and what's going to happen next will knock your socks off! Trust me, you're gonna love it. Please Review.

_**Q-n-P**_


	13. Freedom and Hell

The events followed as thus: After his interview on TV, Robert Tucker was called to the Supreme Court to give his testimony on his knowledge of the Special Unit.

After getting into all with how the operation worked and their methods, the Assistant Director who assigned Agent Robert Tucker to this shady division was called in to either collaborate or defend himself.

It had been revealed that the Special Unit, itself, had been in existence since the early fifties and had been brought to speed by J. Edgar Hoover, himself.

The judges were hardly swayed by the history, instead were mortified by the pictures shown of the teens who had been mutilated during questioning.

The leading director of the Bureau had been brought in and he claimed total ignorance to the entire faction.

After two days, the court had made its decision and made it known publicly.

"It's been decided by this court that all agents engaged in the Special Unit are hereby to be called in for questioning and later reassignment. Those having been party to the incidents in Roswell, New Mexico and New Haven, Connecticut shall be reprimanded and charged with the full extent of the law. Those who are, or have been, targeted or sighted on wanted posters; shall be given a pardon by the Bureau and a written letter of apology. Effective immediately." The Judge banged his gavel.

**Chapter Thirteen: Freedom and Hell**

From the Parker's to the Evans' to the DeLuca's, the news that the Supreme Court has issued a desist and an immediate abandonment of the Special Unit, has come with joys at a time of dire circumstances.

Having already been four days since they fought against Khivar and Nicholas, the group took the news, with no sudden elevation towards happiness. After all considering how they lost two people and felt as if they lost a third, their mood remained somber.

The parents of the teenagers tried their best to point out that this was a time to celebrate, that this was the end for their children to live out of anonymity.

However, with Maria being in a catatonic state, the news of their freedom was met with sadness, as they knew one of them wouldn't be able to share in the joy of having been granted this gift.

Max felt a certain weight had been lifted when hearing the news and he, along with Isabel, Ava, and Kyle; felt that maybe they should celebrate as opposed to me moping.

Michael and Isabel choose to remain in their current moods.

Isabel and Michael blamed themselves for what had happened to Maria.

Isabel blamed herself for not having come sooner to thwart off Khivar and save Maria, while Michael blamed himself for not being there to protect Maria. That Isabel was the one who gave the final blow to the demon that did this to Maria.

Jesse and Max tried their best to console the two, telling them that they had no way of knowing how the events were going to unfold.

This in turn got no responses from either of them. Instead, both choose to stay with Maria and be there for whenever she was going to wake up.

Sitting in Maria's bedroom, Michael and Isabel listened to one of Maria's favorite artists, Dido, as they sat in silence.

Michael did not blame Isabel, not one bit. He put all of the blame on himself.

Had he choose to ignore the wanting of a shower after that battle and accompanied Maria downstairs to their kids, maybe in someway he would have been able to stop Khivar and, along with Isabel, still put an end to him.

Michael sighed as he rubbed his eyes, having not gained any sleep for the past four days since this happened.

He really wished that Larek would contact them and maybe they'd fine a cure and bring Maria home.

Amy DeLuca watched from the kitchen to the open doorway of her daughter's bedroom, Michael and Isabel still standing there, attentive to whatever might suddenly happen.

Amy didn't know what to feel, nowadays. While apart of her was torn that her daughter has been put into this kind of state, the other part was deeply saddened on the toll it was taking to her daughter's fiancée.

She hadn't told him yet, but Amy felt no ill will nor did she blame Michael Guerin for what had happened. Having been told by Isabel Evans on what had occurred that night, she knew that it was beyond anyone's power to have predicted; thus, to have stopped what had happened.

Both her and Laurie wished Michael would realize that, right now, there wasn't anything he could do for Maria. That he needed to be with his children as they were in need of their father.

Yet Michael, in his stubborn and quiet ways, remained at Maria's side. Only for small periods of time would he walk away and spend time with his children. The others had stopped by to see him occasionally, but Michael paid them little attention.

Amy watched Michael in a new light. Having thought of him as a trailer trash loser who, like any other man that she knew from her teenage years, had only carnal thoughts on his mind when he was with her daughter.

Of course, this was Amy's interpretation from being in the dark as to why both he and Maria snuck out like they did and when she had caught them in the same bed together.

She saw Michael now, as a boy-man who truly loved her daughter. The fact that he was spending so much time awaiting for her return, and ignoring all else frivolent, showed to Amy how wrong she had been about him.

Laurie had came in from the outside, with her niece in her arms, and noticed Amy still watching the two in the room with Maria.

"No change, huh?" She said.

Amy shook her head, "No, no change."

* * *

Sitting inside the Crashdown Café, for the first time in a long time without their masks on, Max, Liz, Kyle, and Ava raised their sodas.

"Here's to the peace we've been waiting for and the hope for Maria's return."

Everyone nodded and clinked their glasses with the others.

Jesse and Jim had joined them later on.

"How's Isabel doing?" Liz asked Jesse.

Jesse sighed, "Still not good. She's still blaming herself for what has happened."

Jim shook his head, "I still can't believe that those two actually think this is all their fault."

Ava sighed, "It's not an easy thing."

Some on lookers seemed to notice of the six of them together and made whispers, looking at them.

Jim cleared his throat; "Do you mind?"

Ever since the news broke out, a lot of people have been either coming up to one of the group to express their outrage against the FBI or to hound them with questions.

Max found this rather refreshing compared to being a pariah.

Jim shook his head, going back to what they were discussing before; "It never fails to astonish me how much you kids have to go through." He then looked at his watch, "I'm sorry to cut and run but I'm due for another patrol. Max, give my best to Michael and tell him that I think he needs to spend sometime away, there's probably not a whole lot he could do right now"

Max laughed, sadly. "That won't be easy for him to hear, but I'll pass it along."

Jim nodded and retrieved his hat as he got up. He nodded to the group and then left.

Jesse then heaved a sigh, "So, what do you guys plan to do now with your newly gained freedom?"

"Kyle's taking me camping." Ava said wrapping an arm around Kyle's.

Kyle shifted his eye patch and grinned, "Can you believe this little thing has never gone camping before?"

Ava laughed, "Unless you call sleeping on a bench in Central Park "camping"."

Jesse shook his head in amusement at the two; he then turned to Max and Liz, "How about you two?"

"We're going to visit the pod chamber and then maybe drive out on the old highway. Hopefully there'll be no deer this time." Liz said.

"Why? Do deer bother you?" Asked Ava.

Max shook his head, "No, it's not that. We had hit one the last time we went and I ended up in the hospital."

"But the deer was okay?" Kyle asked in a mock serious tone.

Max laughed and then turned to Jesse, "What about you? Do you have anything special planned with Isabel?"

Jesse sighed, "I wish I did. I'm going to go over to your parents and see if they can help me pry her away from Maria's room and try to get her mind off of the whole thing."

Max nodded. Apart of him wished he could help out with both Isabel and Michael on this, but something inside him told him to wait for them to come to him, rather than vice versa.

* * *

Sitting with Isabel and Amy inside Dr. Raymond Forrester's office, Michael looked eagerly at the man, hoping the next words to come out of his mouth was that Maria was going to snap out of this soon.

"Well, so far she's responding to the barbiturates like most with Catatonia, and that's a good thing." He said.

"How so?" Asked Amy.

Dr. Forrester smiled, "Some don't respond to them at all, nor does their body accept them in this state. So far, Maria's neural network has been healthy on the most part. Her mind is active so there's little chance that she's going to slip into a coma."

While Michael agreed that, that was good, he didn't feel satisfied nor did he appreciate that the doctor was trying to bring this up as a means to soften the mood.

"When will she be coming out of this?"

Dr. Forrester sighed, "Like I told you before, Mr. Guerin, there's no way we could know. The human mind is still a mystery to this day and Catatonia is being treated cautiously. Maria's the only one who can bring herself out of this."

Michael stood up, his fists clenched. "Are you saying this is her choice!"

Isabel grabbed his arm to calm him.

Dr. Forrester didn't seemed alarmed; "No, Mr. Guerin. That's not what I meant. Whatever has happened to Maria has caused her to slip into this state. Her body and her mind have to gradually break through the mental barriers that she herself has set up. Only then can she come back to a more coherent and lively state of being. The barbiturates help with this process. There's an awful lot chemical imbalance, right now, running through her brain. The drugs will help steady those so she can continue to have normal brain function, and not risk shutting down completely. Judging from her brain waves, there's activity going on inside her, even though nothing is seen from when we look at her. You need to be patient with her, Mr. Guerin. She's walking down a long road to get back home."

Michael sat back down and scratched at his eyebrow.

He hated feeling completely helpless.

"Is there anything more we can do, to help her while she's like this?" Isabel asked.

Dr. Forrester nodded, "I understand that you've been playing music that she likes, that's good. Despite her being unresponsive, she can still hear what's going on around her. Hearing things she likes will ease those barriers I've mentioned. Talking to her helps too. There have been many known cases where Catatonic victims have more gradually come back due to what they've been hearing. I'd suggest that, for right now."

Isabel nodded and Amy got up and shook his hand.

"Thank you doctor."

Dr. Forrester held her hand and looked to the others as well.

"There's a good chance she'll get out of this, so please don't despair."

As soon as they had arrived back at the house, Isabel went off to Maria's room to play her some more music.

Michael started to go in with her, until Amy took his hand.

"Come with me for a walk, I think we both need it."

Michael was tempted to voice his protest but sighed and followed her out the door.

Walking through the town, many people were setting up their bar-b-queues for Roswell's annual Fourth of July cook off.

Seeing couple's lying on blankets enjoying eachother's company had Michael looking away.

Amy hadn't noticed the world around them, she was too deep in her own thoughts.

The two had stopped in the park and sat on the bench, watching parents play with their kids.

Michael felt this whole thing was torture.

Amy seemed to catch on to his longing gaze.

"Don't do this to yourself, Michael Guerin." Amy said. "Maria wouldn't want you to be like this."

Michael groaned and pressed his thumbs into his eyes and began to rub them.

"I don't know what else to do, Miss DeLuca. I'm…I'm scared."

Amy patted him on the knee, "She's not lost to us, you know."

Michael nodded, "I just wish I could hear her voice again, that's all. Hear her call me 'Spaceboy' again. Hell, even if she were to bitch at me I'd still want to hear it."

Amy smiled as she looked to the ground. "Well, she can't right now, but she will later on. Right now, I'm sure Maria doesn't want you beating yourself up over this. I'm sure Alex and Madeline don't want you to do this either. They need you, Michael."

Michael sighed and nodded.

He then laughed, bitterly. "I'm sure you must think the worse of me even more. Because of all this and all that's happened to Maria."

Amy shook her head, "I don't. This is hard for me, being her mother, but I'm also a sensible person. Michael, Maria's almost an adult and so far she's been making decisions well beyond her years. While being her mother, I've been worried about the kind of decisions that she makes, I also realize that with you there I actually have less to fear about. My opinion of you has changed and you have yourself to thank for that. I do not blame you for what's happened to Maria. I do wish you could forgive yourself for what's happened, though."

Michael laughed, "Easier said than done."

Amy shrugged, "It'll come later, not now, but later. In the meantime, do you want to go to the Crashdown for something to eat? I can't recall the last time you ate something."

Michael did admit, that he hadn't eaten for several days.

He nodded and the two went across the street and to the Crashdown.

Jeff made a wave to Amy and Michael as the two parked themselves inside the booth.

Michael looked at his menu and hated the fact that with all that was on his mind he couldn't decide, for the life of him, what to order.

Just then, Duncan, the boy who brings over the deliveries to the Parker's, walked right over and stood in front of Michael.

Amy had about enough of the questions she had gotten about her daughter being lifted off the FBI's most wanted list, she sighed as she set down her menu.

"Duncan, now's not a good time to be asking questions."

Duncan didn't respond to her, he only addressed, Michael.

"General Rath, it's been awhile."

Michael found himself staring at the boy, who was fourteen years old, and pulled him inside and next to him in the booth.

"How do you know that name, Duncan?"

Duncan smiled, "I see this vessel along with it's voice confuses you. It's me General. It's Mar'di."

Michael's jaw dropped, "Mar'di? Wha…why are you here? Is everything okay on Dior? How's Larek?"

Duncan raised his hand, trying to stop and calm Michael down.

"Dior has been devastated by the recent attack, many have lost their lives. Including Kimond."

Kimond, to Michael, seemed rather cold and pushy, but no one really deserves to die, well except for Nicholas and Khivar, anyways.

"How's Larek?" Michael asked.

Duncan sighed, "He's been injured. An attack has left him blind, so he won't be able to contact you through his vessel, Brody; anymore."

Michael felt saddened that their friend who had aided them so many times before and helped bring Maria and him to the planet had this happen to him.

Maria…

"Mar'di, is there any chance that Maria and I could come back to Dior? She's sick and needs help."

Duncan shook his head, "I'm sorry, General, but we can't. All ships have been damaged as well as the hangars they've been in. It's going to take a very long time till we can bring Dior back to its former glory."

Michael sighed, "Well, I have good news for you. Khivar is history as well as Niico."

Duncan smiled, "We've heard. Congratulations to you and the Royal family for accomplishing such a feat."

Michael looked at him, confused. "You knew? How?"

Duncan laughed, "Earthlings are so naïve to think they are the only intelligent species on the planet. We have many people who live around the planet, and one reported to us about the battle in the desert between all of you and the two."

This made Michael a little angry. "He was there? Why didn't he come and help us? Rath and Lonnie might have lived!"

Duncan didn't seem to be phased by Michael's outburst.

"General, you'll have to forgive us. Many of the people we send to Earth are observers. They do not fight, they do not intervene; they are mainly there to record what's happening on your planet."

Michael groaned and shook his head out of sleeplessness.

Duncan got up from the table, "I'm happy to see you are well, General and am sorry for the loss of your friends and the ailment of your concubine. I wish I could do more, but I can't right now. With Larek ill and the planet in turmoil, the only thing I can do is give you advice. I need to go now; Larek has instructed me that these vessels have weak hearts, so I must return this one to its origin. Farewell." With that said, Duncan left the Crashdown.

Amy had remained quiet during the entire conversation and when Duncan had left, she then whispered to Michael.

"Who was that?"

Michael scratched the back of his head, "Mar'di, Larek's chief researcher. He's also the one who delivered Alex and Madeline."

Amy looked out the doors where Duncan had left and wished she could have had time to talk to this person.

* * *

Unpacking his dad's truck, Kyle laughed as Ava jumped upon seeing a spider come crawling out of one of the sleeping bags.

She slugged him; "It wasn't funny."

"If you say so." Said Kyle and he then brought out the food and set it down near the tent as Ava carefully brought out the sleeping bags.

A thought came to Kyle as he was being unsuccessful lighting the fire. He then put his hand over the wood and to his amazement, it ignited.

"Yeah, Baby!" Kyle hollered, waiving his arms about him in victory.

Ava just watched him and smiled.

She had no idea what had her attracted to him.

She was quickly reminded as Kyle walked over and gave her a peck on the cheek and he asked, "Are you cold?"

She shook her head and grinned. Her lip ring reflecting the flames of the fire.

"Now that you're here I won't."

Kyle grinned back.

She then lifted up his eye patch, to which he kept the eye closed. She then set the patch back down over the eye.

"_**Number two**_." Ava grinned, mocking Dr. Evil.

As the evening came upon them, the two clambered inside the tent.

Ava had asked him to tell her some stories about meeting the gang and then what happened until he met her.

Kyle was a little bit ashamed of the first part, because it didn't make him out too good. However, he noticed Ava was still listening and that incredible smile of her's never left her face.

By the time he finished, the two had gone out and got out the hot dogs and marshmallows.

To Ava's disappointment, her hot dog wasn't cooking like it should.

"Am I doing this wrong?" She asked.

Kyle admitted that the flames were becoming weak and dying. Unfortunately, they forgot to bring any fluid to keep it raging.

Kyle grinned, none the less. "Let me see that." He said.

Ava moved her stick that had the hot dog attached, to Kyle.

Kyle kept his eyes on Ava as he moved his hand over the hotdog.

As he did, the meat started to sizzle and became plumper.

He handed it back to Ava, who took a little nibble off the top of the dog.

"Thank u." she said in a cutesy tone.

The two sat and shared marshmallows and then watched the stars in the sky.

Later, Kyle crept into his sleeping bag and was about to dim the lantern when he saw Ava come in, wearing nothing but a shirt.

Kyle's mind went on a roller coaster as it was desperately trying to process what was happening.

Ava crawled her way up to Kyle and she sat on her knees and tilted her head back.

"Kyle Valenti, this is your lucky night."

Kyle gulped, "It is?"

Ava nodded, "Now who would you like to be with tonight? Mischa Barton?" Ava waived her hand over her face and it turned into Mischa Barton's.

"Jessica Alba?" Ava waived her hand again and came out as Jessica.

"Or", she said, "Maybe Jenna Jameson?" Again she waived her hand and she appeared as the pornographic star. "Speak now, or forever hold your _piece_." She grinned.

Kyle laughed, "Wow, tough choices, but I'm going to have to go with Ava. She's much hotter than any of those others."

With another wave of her hand, Ava's face reappeared.

She smiled as she lowered her body onto his, "Good choice."

* * *

As Max was driving, Liz looked out the window and smiled.

It felt good, yet for some reason, weird, to be this free again.

She watched Max, his eyes filled with deep thinking.

Liz knew where his mind was it was on Michael.

There was some guilt to his look. While they were enjoying the fact of having been freed from being hunted, Max was worried about Michael and Isabel and the personal hell they were experiencing from having Maria leave them.

Liz knew from Max's look that he was carrying some sort of weight as well.

"Nice night." Liz said, hoping that a conversation would lighten the mood.

Max smiled, "It is."

Liz then scooted over and rested her head on the shoulder of her husband.

"So, where to next?" She asked.

Max shrugged. They were coming close to entering the city limits of Roswell.

"How do you feel about a drive in movie?" He asked.

Liz laughed, "Max, they're probably closed by now. Look at the time. The last ShowTime must've ended by now."

Max grinned, "We could go rob a store."

Liz punched him in the shoulder, "That's not funny."

Max grinned and drove them to the Roswell Drive In and parked the car in the empty parking lot.

"What if we're seen?" Liz asked.

Max shrugged, "These things happen."

Liz sighed, "Max…"

Max kissed her. "Don't worry. If anyone comes we'll ditch the car and wait till they leave. Okay?"

Liz knew there was no talking him out of something once he had his mind set.

"Okay."

Max then held his hand out towards the projection room atop the large building in the middle of the Drive In. The projector came one and the movie began. Max then waived his hand over the speaker next to the car, causing it to come to life with the sound of the movie.

Liz scrunched over and rested her head, again, on Max's shoulder,

Her mind was else where though.

Having been granted freedom from everything horrible that has happened to them, they've been given it while at the same time a friend of theirs had it taken away.

Liz Parker wondered to herself if when there would be a moment to where not just her, Max, Kyle, and Ava, but everyone; could have their moment of peace.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Jesse, Isabel had snuck out of her parent's house and drove back to The Valenti's to see how Michael and Maria were doing.

Coming inside, quietly, Isabel found Laurie sleeping on the couch and Michael, very much awake, in Maria's room.

"Hey." She said, upon entering.

Michael nodded, not even looking at her.

Isabel sat on the floor next to Michael, looking at Maria.

Neither of them spoke for awhile.

Then Michael took a deep breath. "Isabel, I wanted to ask you."

"What?" She asked.

"If you could teach me. Teach me how to "dream walk" like you do."

Isabel was surprised. Despite all of them having their own unique abilities, no one had ever asked anyone of them to be taught by the other.

"I guess we can try." She said.

Michael nodded and got up out of the chair and sat on the floor next to Isabel.

Before Isabel began, she looked to Michael.

"Michael, I want to let you know that, other than helping Max look into that autistic kid's dream and then having the two parents in the kid's dream as well; I've never done it with someone whose in a fragile state, like Maria. I'm not sure what will happen and how it'll affect her."

Michael sighed, "I've got to know she's alright, Isabel. I need to find out."

Isabel sighed and brought out the photo she had of them at Max and Liz's wedding.

"The first thing you need to do, in order to do this, is clear your mind of everything except of that of Maria, alright?"

Michael nodded.

"Second, you're going to use an awful lot of energy to do this, and you'll be falling asleep as you go inside. Now, touch Maria's face and focus all of your energy on her within this photo."

Michael did as he was told. Touching the photo, his mind fixated on Maria and his love for her.

The photo rippled and Michael felt sleep coming to him and he gently rested his body on the floor.

When Michael opened his eyes, he found himself in a familiar place.

He was at the Moonlit Lounge in Las Vegas. He then saw everyone else, Liz, Ava, Kyle, Maria, and even Alex sitting at the table.

He then heard himself.

"…Even though she won't believe me, I enjoy hearing her sing. Ladies and gentlemen tonight we're going to make a dream come true. Miss Margarita Salt."

Michael watched as Maria got up from the table and made her way to the stage.

Michael made an attempt to go up to her but stopped.

He saw another Maria sitting at the place she had left.

Michael walked over to her.

"Maria?"

Maria looked at him in surprise. She then looked to the Michael who was onstage hiding in the corner.

"Michael? What's going on? What are you doing in my dream?"

Michael hugged her and then kissed her.

"I had to know you were alright. Are you alright?"

Maria smiled as she teared up in her eyes. As the other Maria sang, Michael then extended his hand.

"Dance with me?"

She smiled, "Wow, Spaceboy, never thought you would ask."

The two then went to the dance floor, and Michael still found his slow dancing crappy.

Maria laughed, "Things never change."

Michael sighed, "I guess they don't."

Michael knew that he wouldn't have a whole lot of time here, so he got down to business.

"Maria, why won't you come back to us?"

Maria sighed, "I'm trying but I can't seem to find my way out."

Michael sighed, he had hoped it would be simpler, but maybe the doctor was right, it was all about patience.

"How are the kids?" Maria asked him.

Michael smiled, "Madeline's looking like you everyday. She drools in her sleep like you."

Maria stepped back, "Excuse me? I don't drool."

Michael flashed his cocky grin at her.

Maria sighed and stepped back to him again, "How's everything else?"

"Khivar's dead. Larek's okay, except he's blind, and the FBI's no longer hunting us."

Maria smiled, "Wow, so everything's good, then."

Michael placed to hands on her shoulders as he looked deep into her eyes.

"Not everything. We don't have you."

Maria smiled a tear came down her cheek.

"Spaceboy…"

Michael brushed away the tear and then he felt a force beckoning him to come back to reality.

"Maria, I don't have anymore time. But I'll come back to see you again, okay?"

Maria nodded, "I'll try to find away out. I promise."

Michael then held her and kissed her and soon found himself being torn from her as he was hurtled out of the dream and back onto the floor of Maria's bedroom.

Isabel helped Michael up.

"So?" She asked, her eyes were alive with hope.

Michael hugged Isabel fiercely, "She's alright. Thank you, Isabel. Thank you."

Both cried out of happiness as they hugged eachother.

Later that night, Michael was able to get some sleep again and he had hoped his dreams would take him to Maria, for some reason they went some place weird.

He was in a dense Forrest. The air was thick and heavy with the smell of pine. Looking around, Michael found an elderly woman looking at him.

"What do you want?" Michael asked.

The woman smiled and pointed at him; "You seek what has been lost to you, General Rath."

The second time a stranger has said his name.

"Who are you and how do you know that name?" Michael asked.

The woman smiled again.

"Ko'dairk knows many things. I can show you the way to freeing your love, just follow Columbia and meet me. Come…Come…."

Michael found himself waking up with his entire body covered in thick sweat.

The voice was still ringing in his head.

"Come…Come…"

_**To be continued…**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N**: I hope the segment of Kyle being able to light the campfire and cook the hotdog has the cleared the confusion as to what exactly his power is. I'll admit I was struggling when I created the concept but I think this clarifies it. I hope it does, anyways.

**A/N II**: Please, oh, please, give the comments! Please Review!

_**Q-n-P**_


	14. Hopes and Dreams

Phillip Evans was feeling pretty good. Not only has the recent news about the Supreme Court having stopped the investigations against his kids livened his spirits but seeing Isabel coming out of her depression has as well.

Sitting in his office, looking out over the business district of Roswell, Phillip Evans felt reassured that things were going to be peaceful for a change.

He then heard his phone ringing.

Knowing that Beth, his receptionist, was out for lunch, he answered it.

"This is Evans."

"Phillip? Tom Simpson." Said a man's voice on the other end.

"Tom, what've you been up to? I haven't heard back from you since our meeting in May. You really need to get down here and meet me on the greens."

Tom's voice seemed tired on the other end; "Yeah, Phillip, I'll see what I can do."

"Excellent. So, what's going on?" Phillip asked as he sat down at his desk.

"Well," Said Tom, "You know that child your son gave up for adoption in May?"

Phillip stood up straighter, "Yes?"

Tom cleared his throat; "There's been some problems with the kid."

"What sort of problems, Tom?"

"Well, the parents wanted to ask me if the parents of the child had any growth related diseases, you know, ones that cause you to age or have exceeding bone growth?"

Phillip wrote all this down, "Well, I know for certain that's never been the case with Max or Tess. Why do they ask, Tom?"

Tom sighed, "This is where it really gets strange, Phillip. They're claiming that the child has grown into that of a six year old."

Phillip found his pen dropping from his hand; "A six year old? Tom, you know that's not possible."

Tom laughed on the other end, "I agree with you there, but they had a doctor send me the paper work and it looks to be true on paper. Phillip, I need you to come down here, bring Max, if you can, and see if we can't fix this mess. These damn people are actually accusing me of withholding medical information."

Phillip sighed and lay back in his chair, "When should we come?"

**Chapter Fourteen: Hopes and Dreams**

Michael was feeling weird after last night's visit from that strange woman.

Not feeling at all sure whether or not it was dream or…something else.

Later, in the morning, when Isabel had come over, he disclosed everything about it to her.

At first, Isabel said nothing and then she looked down at the table.

"Isabel?" Michael took hold of her hand.

"Sorry." She said, "Its just the way you described it reminded me of when Khivar invaded my dreams just before my wedding. It's creepy."

Michael rested his hands to his face; "What should I do?"

Isabel shrugged, "For right now you don't have to do anything. I'd just as soon forget it and concentrate on what matters most."

Michael nodded and, as if one cue, Amy along with Laurie came inside and brought in with them Alex and Madeline.

"Hi guys." Amy said.

"Hi" Michael said as he got up and took Alex from Amy.

"Hi, Miss DeLuca." Isabel greeted, "Hey Laurie."

Amy was happy to see them talking to them, both looked as though they were getting through. Michael, on the other hand, was still in his deep thoughts.

Laurie sat down at the table next to Isabel and handed off Madeline to her.

"What've you guys been up to?" Laurie asked.

Michael turned to Amy.

"I visited Maria last night."

Amy was confused, "What do you mean?"

Isabel tried to explain the whole "dream walking" ability while bouncing Madeline on her knee.

When she finished, Amy held a hand to her mouth. "You actually talked to her?"

Michael nodded, "She's fine. She told me to tell you she's going to see if she can find away to come back to us."

Amy, then, hugged Michael, sobbing out of joy.

* * *

Kyle had decided to let Ava sleep in as the sun broke out that morning.

Finding his that he couldn't manually start the fire back up again, so he instead, put his hand underneath the kettle and had it percolating in a matter of seconds.

Pouring himself a cup, he watched as the sun climbed higher in the midmorning.

_What a night._ He thought to himself.

Looking back at the tent, Kyle smiled to himself thinking in irony of those times in the past when he considered knowing the existence of alien beings a dire misfortune, now fully believing that having been granted that knowledge has made him the happiest man on the planet.

The sex, not withstanding, just having Ava in his life has brought Kyle closer to what he'd been training himself, spiritually, for; happiness gained through meeting the beauty and comfort of a divine soul.

Was this love, he was feeling, though? Or was it just the morning afterglow?

There was some rustling in the tent and then Ava poked her head out.

"What time is it?" She asked sleepily.

"Not time for you to get out yet, go ahead and get some more sleep." Kyle said.

Ava smiled and nodded then quickly retreated back inside the tent.

* * *

Max, Liz, and Isabel walked into Phillip Evans' office in the utmost confusion.

Max had been awaken by the ringing of his cell at the Drive-In, along with Liz, and got the urgent call from his father.

Isabel was contacted as well, and the three met up before coming.

Phillip was on the phone prior to their entering his office and he made a gesture to have them sit while he talked on the phone.

"At four o'clock? Great thank you, goodbye." Phillip hung up and then turned to the three, "I'll bet you're wondering why I called you here."

Max nodded.

"Max…I just got a call from Tom Simpson. Tom's the one who handled Zan's adoption." Phillip began.

Max's eyes along with his body, leaned forward, "What about Zan?"

Phillip took a deep breath, "Remember when you told your mother and I about how you and Isabel emerged from those pod-things as six year olds?"

Max and Isabel nodded.

"Well, Tom called me this morning. The family that adopted Zan has some startling questions about him. They say that he aged five years over the night."

Max eyes grew wide, "What?"

Isabel and Liz exchanged looks.

Phillip shook his head, "I don't understand it myself. You told me that Tess told you that Zan was completely human."

Max nodded, "That's what she told me. The thing is Tess wasn't always truthful. She lied to me about a lot of things about our son."

Phillip sighed, "Well, I guess this adds to that list. The biggest problem is that the adopting family took Zan to a doctor to write out a report to Tom about Zan's growth spurt. Tom's getting a lot of heat from that family."

Max groaned as he put his head into his hands he then shook it and then stood up.

"I need to go and see Zan. That, and I need to get hold of those medical reports so no one gets suspicious."

Liz and Isabel looked at him in surprise.

Phillip, however, smiled. "I'm way ahead of you, son. I called the airline and booked a flight for the four of us. We'll be leaving around four today."

* * *

Michael found that, with the extra time he had, he always felt like drawing or painting.

Mostly, since what happened to Maria, his subjects have been of her face.

Using an easel he had made from scratch, and some canvasses, "borrowed" from the school, Michael took out some charcoal and started work.

After completing several strokes, he decided to use a Quattro Cento scheme to compliment that shadowing of her eyes and also the fullness of her lips.

After thirty minutes he found himself looking at what he had created, as did Amy who had came into the garage.

"Oh, my. Michael, did you make this?"

Michael nodded.

Amy looked in wonder of the compositions and strokes of the hair as well as the shadowing. She shook her head in wonder.

"Maria never told me how gifted you were as an artist; or is this just another one of your alien abilities?"

Michael shook his head, "Nah. This is me; and between you and I, Maria doesn't even know I do this. You know, draw."

Amy looked at him in surprise; "Why?"

Michael shrugged, "Don't know. I guess its never came up."

Amy laughed, "Well, if it were me, I'd share these with the world. They're pretty amazing."

While Michael grunted a "what ever" under his breath, Amy then noticed another drawing that was of an elderly woman surrounded by large trees.

"What's this?" She asked.

Michael scratched the back of his head as he looked at the painting he had drawn only earlier.

"Not sure." He finally answered.

Amy looked at the drawing and bent her head at the side, looking at it at a different angle.

"The mood and tone of this is different from your other ones."

Michael nodded, "I dreamt of this woman, shortly after visiting Maria. She was calling out for me to come to her."

Amy's eyebrow hooked as she looked at Michael, incredulously.

"Are you serious?"

Michael nodded.

"Why does she want you to go to her?"

This was the part Michael was struggling with. This woman, Ko'dairk, seemed to know about what was happening with Maria, and she seemed to also know that Michael was searching for means to cure her.

How she knew, was a big question.

Michael wasn't sure how to answer Amy.

"It was just a dream. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything."

Sitting in the Crashdown Café, Kyle warmed up his burger while Ava dumped heavy loads of tobasco sauce onto her's.

Watching her, Kyle smiled.

Ava noticed, "What are you grinning about?"

Kyle took a deep breath and breathed, "I…love you."

Ava smiled big, she then pointed to his food; "Shut up and eat your burger."

Kyle laughed and did, as he was asked, just as Michael came in and joined them.

"What's up?" Michael asked as he sat down next to Kyle.

"Nothin'." Both of them said, all the while giving eachother mischievous grins.

Michael shook his head; seeing these two act like this was both disturbing and nauseating.

Ava saw the circles under Michael's eyes. "Having trouble sleeping?"

Michael nodded.

"Because of Maria?" Kyle asked.

Michael shook his head. He then told the two about last night having been able to contact Maria through her dreams and then having a dream where he himself had been visited by a strange woman.

"She called herself, Ko'dairk. For some reason she knew all of what's been happening. That and…"

Both looked for him to finish.

"And…what?" Asked Ava.

Michael sighed, "And she told me that she could help Maria get back to us."

"Are you serious? Michael, some loony woman tells you, in your dreams, that she wants you to bring Maria to her? Tell me you're not considering this." Kyle said, with absolute seriousness.

"I hope not too, General."

All three of them turned and saw Duncan standing in front of them.

"Mar'di?" Michael inquired.

Duncan nodded.

Before Kyle or Ava could ask anything, Duncan sat down next to Ava and looked across the table at Michael.

"General Rath, you mustn't go anywhere near that woman."

"Why? Do you know this Ko'dairk?" Michael asked.

Duncan nodded, "Back in the times before the obliteration of the royal family on Antar, Larek and I were interviewing people for medical personnel on Dior to be transferred to Antar, as per King Zan's request. One of these candidates was Ko'dairk. Ko'dairk came from a planet long been devastated by illnesses and corruption, and we were wary of using her for the royal family. We decided to test her. Lord Larek's own daughter was suffering from a rare illness brought on by vegetation that had grown on our planet. Ko'dairk was instructed to heal her and then create an antidote so others may survive. Not only did Ko'dairk deviate from attending to Larek's daughter, she also went as far to save seeds from the deadly plants and sold them to some unsavory people. Larek and I managed to find someone else to help his daughter and create the antibody for the rest of the populace. Ko'dairk, however, eluded our guards and managed to sneak off the planet."

Kyle shook his head, "Great, another alien creep."

"So, she came here, to Earth? How does she know about Michael and Maria?" Ava asked.

Duncan shrugged, "I can only guess one thing. That someone informed her of your battle against Khivar and what happened to your concubine afterwards."

Michael groaned. He should have guessed.

Duncan leaned forward, "It's imperative that you stay away from her, General Rath. Ko'dairk has been known to do many dark things with her patients, and those that she tricks into doing her bidding."

* * *

Back in May, Nathan and Irene Pressman adopted Zan from Tom Simpson's office. The two changed Zan's name to Andrew and for several months everything seemed to be okay until last week.

Irene remembered it vividly.

Having heard Andrew cry from his crib, she went to him and checked to see of he had soiled or wet himself, only to find his skin incredibly cold and damp, and not damp from urination. She went to awaken Nathan only, when the two had returned to Andrew's room, there was no longer a five month old baby in the crib, but a fully-grown six-year old.

At first, they thought that some sick individual had replaced their baby with that of this child. However, there were no signs of forced entry and when they took the boy to be checked up, they found out that this was indeed Andrew.

Nathan went berserk. He started calling up Tom Simpson and threatened to have the man either arrested or have his license to practice law taken away.

Irene was just concerned what else might happen to their adopted son.

This turn of event had her more worried as a parent, than ever.

To her amazement, though, Andrew had turned out to be a normal six-year-old. She took him to a speech pathologist and it turned out that his speech and his understanding of words were that of any normal six-year-old.

Despite the growth, their physician told them that Andrew's metabolism was normal, as well as anything else physical.

Should they be upset? Andrew, despite the sudden growth was fine, and the only thing they had to do differently was buy him some different clothes and enroll him into elementary school.

Nathan, Irene knew, would never let something die down, though.

She sighed as she sat on the front porch swing in front of her Newark home, clutching in her hand the UFO rattle that had came with Andrew.

She was going to have to be patient. Nathan would get over this and they could go back to raising a family like they wanted.

Irene watched as a Ford Explorer came into her driveway and a woman in a business suit, with short brown hair, came out.

"Irene Pressman?" She asked.

Irene stood up, "Yes?"

The woman smiled and walked up to her, extending her hand.

"I'm Special Agent Veronica Kern."

* * *

As Max, Isabel, Liz, and Phillip had arrived to Newark, New Jersey, a tall gray-haired man in a leather jacket greeted them.

"Tom!" Phillip called out. He then walked up and shook the man's hand and patted him on the back, rigorously.

As the two caught up, Liz looked at Max, who hadn't said anything during the trip, although, she could probably guess what was on his mind.

After their brief moment, Phillip introduced Tom to the others.

"This is my daughter Isabel, my son Max and his wife Liz."

Tom shook their hands and looked to Max.

"So, you're Max. I have to say, from what Phillip has told me you're something else."

Max shot his father a questioning look.

"A four point-O graduate. You're becoming more and more like your old man everyday. Tell me, are you thinking of maybe going into law?" Tom asked.

Both Isabel and Liz could tell Max heaved a sigh, even though it looked as though he didn't.

"To be honest," Max said, "I'm not sure, exactly what I'd want to do."

Liz wasn't surprised by this answer. Max had never expressed any desire to do much of anything since all that was happening in their life had him preoccupied with safety of both him and the group.

Tom took them all to a coffee house outside of the airport and, after ordering for all of the, sat down at a private table, brought out his briefcase, and laid out some papers.

"Before I begin, I want to thank all of you for coming out here. I know your schedule's usually pretty hectic, Phillip."

Phillip waived a dismissive hand; "Think nothing of it, Tom. After all, this is a family matter."

Tom nodded. "Well, first things first, one of the biggest questions I have is for you, Max. When Phillip brought over Zan he was a little sketchy as to why Zan was being put up in the first place. Can you give me the answer?"

Max took a deep breath, "As I'm sure you're aware of, from what's been going on in the news; a lot of unsavory people have been after me and my friends on false assumptions. The FBI's secret little unit went as far as to interrogate me and my friend Michael using the most unorthodox methods. Tess, when she was alive, agreed with me that neither of us wanted this for our son. When she died, I felt that the best way to protect him from these people was to give him up."

Tom nodded as wrote down all of this information.

"Anything else? Medical wise?"

Max shook his head, "No, nothing wrong in that area. Zan was a health baby."

Tom then looked up to Max, "What about Tess? Did she have any family members who were stricken with any growth defects?"

Max shrugged, "I couldn't tell you, even if I knew. Tess, like Isabel and I, was adopted."

Tom sighed, "Well, I guess I can't pin point anything there. Phillip told me that Tess Harding was adopted by someone in the military and getting in touch with them is extremely difficult."

Tom nodded and took a drink from his cup.

Max leaned in across from him, "Mr. Simpson, is there any chance that I'd get a chance to meet with Zan?"

Tom nodded, "yes, I think there will. I'm pretty sure Nathan and Irene have questions of their own to ask of you, so I think you might. I'll give them a call while you three situate yourselves at the hotel; I'll call you when I know for sure."

* * *

Seeing Dr. Forrester again; felt little a bit better since Michael had visited Maria in her dreams.

He had spoken the same as he did last time, saying that Maria's still steady progress gave hope that she was on the path to recovery.

A part of Michael wished the news had been toward a specific date to where this might happen. Michael kept his thoughts to himself, knowing that he wouldn't hear anything different voicing them.

Afterwards, Michael walked with Amy and Laurie around the neighborhood and the three, then, came to the Crashdown for dinner with the Parker's.

Later in the evening, Michael checked his cell and found two messages from Liz and Isabel inquiring about Maria's condition.

Michael sighed. He really wish there were some other turns that would insure that she was gradually getting out of this. Even though Maria assured him that she would try to find a way out; Michael was getting impatient.

Sitting in the Valenti's living room, cradling Madeline asleep, Michael's mind went to Ko'dairk.

He knew that anything that was warned to him by either Larek or Mar'di should be listened to. Yet…

Michael looked at his daughter and over to Alex who was nestled against Ava, both asleep on the couch.

How long were these two going to be away from their mother's hold? How long would Michael be?

Kyle had just came in after washing up and Michael got up and handed Madeline gently to him.

"Can you look after her? I need to go for a walk."

Kyle nodded, "Sure."

Michael left and walked out to the garage and picked up his palette, but before he started a sudden flash came to him.

Again he was in the forested wilderness and again there stood Ko'dairk.

"Have you made up your mind, General Rath?" She asked.

Michael looked at her with hard eyes, "How can I trust you? I've heard you're not the most reliable person."

Ko'dairk flashed a set of teeth, "That's for you to decide. the love of your life, General, is going to be lost to you forever. No matter what Earth doctor says.  
Fear not, for I can help you."

"How?" Michael asked.

"Follow Columbia to me, and seek out Dane. He will bring you to me. You have nothing to fear, General." Ko'dairk, along with the area disappeared.

"Michael?"

Michael opened his eyes and found himself lying on the floor of the garage.

Above him, looming over him, was Laurie.

Michael got up and to his surprise he saw the sunlight out.

"How long have I been down here?" He asked.

Laurie laughed, "Well, seeing how it's ten o' clock, I'm guessing for awhile."

Michael couldn't believe that, that whole experience took twelve hours.

"What's everyone up to?" Michael asked as he stretched.

Laurie shrugged, "Amy's on the phone with her sister, Sara, in Salt Lake City. Kyle, Ava, and the kids are at the Crashdown; they're waiting for you, actually."

Michael nodded and, along with Laurie, the two of them headed out.

Kyle and Ava holding the two babies on their laps were met with curious looks from several of the customers.

A couple actually came up to them and asked, in inquiry, as to how young of a couple could have decided to have children so early.

Both Kyle and Ava met this with laughs and sudden improvisations.

Stating, at first, that they had them when they were on their way to an Oz Fest concert. Only until Jeff Parker came and told them to knock it off and told the couple that they were just watching after the babies for a friend of theirs.

"You two are going to drive away my customers if you keep this up." He told them, holding back a smile. He soon then left to talk to his cook.

Michael had soon came in, along with Laurie, and the two joined Kyle and Ava.

"Ah, Rip Van Winkle emerges." Kyle said, grinning.

"You sure were asleep for a long time." Said Ava.

"Well, why didn't either of you care to wake me?" Michael asked, shooting Kyle a dirty look.

Kyle shrugged, "You seemed like you were interested in whatever you were talking about in your sleep. Didn't want to have you hit me for drawing you out of it."

Michael sighed, "I wasn't exactly sleeping. Ko'dairk came to visit me again."

No one spoke, as everyone at the table met this news with silence and alarm.

"Ko'dairk? Seriously?" Ava asked.

Michael nodded, "She still wants me to meet with her. She's insisting that it's the only way to bring Maria back to us."

"Isn't she someone we need to avoid, though? Your friend Mar'di seemed pretty adamant about it." Kyle said, pointedly.

Michael groaned as he rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes; "I don't know what to do, guys. I think I need to talk to Max before I do anything."

Laurie sighed, "It seems you go to him for a lot of things."

"Well, yeah. He's a lot wiser than I am." Michael replied.

Ava shrugged, "Except when he tried to talk both you and Maria into giving up these two for adoption."

Michael nodded. That had to be the only time Max was wrong.

"All the same. I think I should think about this. Besides, even if I do go ahead and take this little journey, I have no idea what Ko'dairk means by "follow Columbia"."

Everyone at the table thought for a moment, then Laurie spoke.

"Does she mean the Columbia River?"

Michael shrugged, "I don't know what she meant."

"Well," Laurie continued, "The Columbia River is in the northwest and it runs through Oregon and Washington. It ends at the Pacific Coast."

"Maybe that's why you saw all those dense trees." Kyle said.

Michael nodded. "Alright. Assuming that's where she is, I still need to talk to Max about this."

Everyone at the table nodded.

* * *

As Max and Liz were heading down to the lobby's restaurant to meet up with his father and Isabel for lunch, Max felt his cellphone ring.

He answered.

"Hello?"

"Max? It's Michael."

Both Max and Liz stopped.

"Hey, Michael. What's going on? Is everything alright there?" Max asked.

Michael laughed, "You know for once, everything is. I have a question for you."

Max listened as Michael told him all about visiting Maria in her dreams, the doctor visits, and finally the strange woman named Ko'dairk.

When he finished, Max sighed.

"What do YOU want to do, Michael."  
"Well isn't it obvious? I want for Maria to come out of this."

Max nodded, "And the doctor told you, you have to be patient about it. I know you're getting restless over this Michael, but if Mar'di tells you not to go to this woman, I'd have to side with him."

There was a groan on the other end. "Okay. How's everything going on your end?"

Max shrugged, "Well, we'll see. We've met up with Dad's friend and we'll be meeting him today, this afternoon to go meet Zan's adoptive family."

"Be good Maxwell. You know they're going to give you hell about what's happening."

Max nodded, "I will. Call again if anything else happens with this Ko'dairk woman."

"I will. See ya."

Max then hung up and turned to Liz.

"Shall we?"

Max told Liz about all that had occurred with his phone conversation with Michael, all the way until they arrived at the restaurant.

Liz looked to Max in alarm.

"You know what Michael's going to do, regardless on what you tell him."

Max nodded, "Well, at least this way he knows what my opinion is about it. In the past I had to rely on that to get to him, but now it's just supplying him with my knowledge that helps him do the right thing, later on."

Liz sighed, "If you say so."

Max stopped the both of them and had Liz turn to him.

"Trust me, Liz. I know how impulsive Michael can be, but he won't do anything if he isn't sure he's doing the right thing. Besides, there's a chance that he might actually know what he's doing."

Liz laughed, "How often does that happen?"

Max hadn't answered seeing Isabel usher them over to their table.

The entire time at lunch, Liz couldn't get off her mind as to what she and Max would be doing with their lives once they got Zan all squared away with his family.

Would that even be happening?

If this family would easily accept the idea that Max was going to present to them that Zan was your normal six year old boy, then Max and she can go on with their fledgling marriage, right?

If not, then Max would eventually bring Zan home with them and they'd be starting their family sooner than expected.

Liz hoped it wouldn't come to that, actually. She wanted to be a young married couple with Max; kids could come later.

She still wanted to go to college and blanket herself in the world of science and develop herself into a field of some sort. As of what Max wanted to do was a mystery to her.

Listening to Max discuss with his father how to use their words carefully to the Pressman's, Liz wondered secretly to herself, if Max knew what she was thinking.

Liz suddenly hears Max say her name and she quickly snapped back to attention.

"I'm sorry. What?"

Max smiled, "Do you and Isabel want to come with us?"

Liz thought for a moment and then shook her head, "Nah, this more for you than it is for me."

Max turned to Isabel, "And you?"

Isabel thought for a moment and then shook her head, "I need to call Jesse and see how he's doing with Laurie's case."

Ever since they had finished with their battle against Khivar, and the FBI's cease and desist order put out by the Supreme Court; Jesse has been looking into the sort of people that have been harassing Laurie Dupree. That night when Maria's father had visited the group at Laurie's house, Jesse snapped into his lawyer phase and has been working on further methods to prevent Laurie's aunt and uncle from ever bothering her again.

Max turned to his father, "I guess it's just you and me."

Phillip nodded and then looked to his watch; "We have time before Tom comes over here. So, what's new with everyone?"

* * *

Jim Valenti had arrived just as Kyle and Ava had in that weird bus.

He smiled watching his son come out, hand in hand, with Ava and the, seeing the two go gallivanting into the house.

_What an interesting combination, those two._ Jim thought, as he saw them notice that the door was locked.

Jim was about to get out of his car to assist them, when Ava waived her hand over the lock, thus unlocking it.

Shrugging, Jim followed them in and came and fell onto his favorite chair with a plop.

He could hear music coming from Maria's room and knew Michael was probably in there.

Once the music stopped, Jim heard footsteps coming in to the living room.

Michael, along with Kyle and Ava, stopped in surprise, upon seeing Jim.

"Hey, Mr. Valenti." Michael said.

"Michael." Jim nodded back.

Everyone sat down and Michael leaned forward on the couch.

"Mr. Valenti, I have something I hoped you could do for me."

Jim stood up straight. "What is it?"

Michael made a nod to Kyle, "Kyle tells me that you have a three day off period starting tomorrow?"

Jim nodded, "I do."

"Well, I was hoping that, maybe, you and Amy could take Alex and Madeline to see Amy's sister, Sara."

Jim thought for a moment and shrugged, "I guess we could. What will the three of you be doing while we're gone?"

"Oh, you know dad. Flying off to Vegas again for a little underage gambling. I think this time I could rack in more than three grand."

Jim flashed his son a dirty look.

Michael sighed, "That _**isn't**_ what were doing, Mr. Valenti. We're just going on a little camping trip and I thought it would be good for the kids to meet their great aunt."

Jim looked into all three of their eyes to determine if there was something else. He knew fully well that he could trust each of these three; but that didn't mean he gave his permission willingly.

"Alright, I'll talk to Amy and see what we'll do. I know you three have some other place in mind. But, I'll let this go under the condition that no matter what one of you will call me if something happens."

All three nodded.

It was decided, later in the evening, that Laurie would accompany them on their trip up west.

Again, Ava questioned Michael if he knew he was making the right decision of going on this journey.

"Well, the stones didn't help and I'm afraid that this is going to last forever. I need her Ava. The kids need her."

Ava shrugged, "Alright. When should we leave?"

"Tomorrow. So get some sleep and we'll leave first thing in the morning."

Ava nodded and went to turn in with Kyle.

Michael watched her leave and then went on into Maria's room.

Watching her escalating breathing, Michael wondered if this, indeed, was the right choice.

Taking out the photo of the group at the Moon lit Lounge, Michael lay next to Maria in bed and touched her face within the photograph.

It rippled and soon Michael was closing his eyes.

The same flash of imagery came and Michael found himself at the High School Prom watching both he and Maria slow dancing.

At least they were trying, Michael still cringed at his efforts; watching him attempt those steps had him groaning all the more.

"Relax. You weren't that bad."

Michael turned and saw Maria standing behind him. He smiled.

"I should have stuck it out with that teacher rather than get impatient with her."

Maria shrugged, "I dunno, I still think you'd act the same way, 'Spaceboy'."

Michael hugged her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"How're you doing?" He asked.

Maria sighed, "I'm sorry, Michael. I'm trying but I'm still haven't found my way out, yet."

Michael sighed, "I hope this doesn't sound too forward but, keep on trying."

Maria nodded, "How about you and the kids?"

Michael smiled, "Well, we're doing okay. Your mom and Deputy Valenti are going to take them to your aunt's place."

Maria groaned, "Ah no…. They're going to be spoiled rotten by Aunt Sara."

Michael laughed, "Well, we'll see."

"Are you going with them?" Maria asked.

Michael shook his head, "Nope. In fact, that's what I want to talk to you about." Michael then told her everything about Ko'dairk.

When he finished, Maria looked sad.

"Please be careful, Michael. If both Max and Mar'di think something smells fishy about this; get away before anything serious happens."

Michael nodded.

Neither of them spoke for a minute and then Maria looked to Michael; "How's Liz and Max, by the way?"

Michael shrugged, "Max seems worried about what he's going to say to Zan's adoptive parents, about how he grew in the middle of the night."

Maria then placed a hand on Michael's.

"Do you think that's going to happen to Alex and Madeline?"

Michael suddenly found himself shocked. He couldn't believe he never asked himself that question.

"I don't know. But if it happens we'll be there for both of them, together."

Maria sighed, "But what if…"

Michael cut her off, "Don't say it. You're going to come back Maria."

Maria smiled and kissed Michael.

Michael then felt himself starting to slip away.

"Well I gotta go. Please look for a way out."

Maria sighed, again; "I'll try, but please, Michael, don't do anything you'll regret with that woman."

Michael grinned, "Hey, it's me we're talking about."

Maria grinned back, "That's what I'm talking about."

With a sudden jerk, Michael once again found himself being hurtled away from Maria and back onto the bed he was in next to her.

The very next day, Kyle and Michael carefully brought Maria onto the bus while Laurie and Ava brought on all of their packed things.

Once they pulled out, Michael looked out the window hoping with all his heart that this would be the road to salvation for Maria and not certain doom for them all.

* * *

Disappointed that Tom hadn't met with them yesterday, Max and Phillip had received a phone message, earlier this morning, that Tom had unfortunately been delayed at his office.

Everything was on schedule for today, however. Tom came by and picked up Max and Phillip and drove them for several miles until they came into subdivision called "Whispering Pines". Five minutes later they were pulling into the driveway, max looked at the house with happiness.

This was a place Zan could have a normal life.

Tom accompanied them to the front door and he rang the bell.

Answering it was a tall, red-haired man with thin glasses.

"Well, well, if isn't tom Simpson." He said, with a stern face.

Tom smiled politely, "Nathan, always a pleasure. I have some people I'd like to introduce, you and Irene, to."

Nathan took a quick look at Max and Phillip and then stood aside.

Walking in, Max found the whole house to smell like vanilla and cedar.

Nathan led them into the livingroom where Max saw a woman with long black hair sitting with a boy. Max looked at the boy with mixed emotions and then he saw yet another person.

This woman took notice of the new comers and got up.

Nathan made a nod to the woman. "Tom, this is Agent Veronica Kern of the FBI."

Max found himself frozen on the spot.

**_To be continued…_**

**_RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR_**

**A/N**: I hope everyone's interest in this story isn't either confused or lost. Concerning with all I have to work with and the storylines to either include them or find a future reference to put them within; it's very hard.

**A/N** II: Please Review.

**_Q-n-P_**


	15. Dangerous Gatherings

Having been on the road for no more than two hours, Michael had spent most of the time being with Maria, brushing away strands of her hair from her face.

Kyle was driving and Ava was on the laptop the Brody lent them, using her cellphone, as she was on the Internet looking up various things.

Michael would have never imagines taking this journey with these two, but it was good to have some company.

As soon as they were an hour away, before, Michael called up Amy to let her know what was going on, as knew she would have some questions as to why Maria was gone.

It was difficult, but Michael managed to come up with a story revolving around taking Maria to a specialist, which Amy bought.

As always, lying didn't have a necessarily good feeling, and lying to Amy made it feel even worse.

Yet, Michael was confident that he'd be able to come up with at least something by doing this. After all, what mattered to him most was right here with him.

He was going to do whatever it took to have Maria DeLuca back into his life.

**Chapter Fifteen: Dangerous Gatherings**

Max and Phillip looked nervously at eachother as the two sat in the Pressman's living room.

It had already been an hour and neither of them had spoken. They just listened to Nathan Pressman and Tom Simpson squabble back and forth, all the while watching the FBI Agent, who introduced herself earlier.

She was watching them, as well. Particularly Max.

Max felt uneasy, as her eyes seemed to never leave him.

Why shouldn't they? Max along with the others had assaulted her and then forced her to give the whereabouts of Kyle when he was abducted.

Max knew he would never apologize for those actions, especially considering what Agent Barns had done to Kyle and Michael.

Nathan and Tom had seemed to finish their little back and forth verbal match and both came into the livingroom.

"So, who did you bring with you?" Nathan asked Tom, inquiring to Max and Phillip.

As Tom sat, he gestured with a hand to Max and Phillip.

"Mr. Pressman, this is Phillip and Max Evans. Max is the biological father of Zan, er, Andrew."

Irene looked surprised. "You're his father? You're just a teenager."

Max made an attempt to smile, hoping that her statement was out of amusement rather than shock.

"Where's Andrew's mother?" Nathan asked.

Tom sighed, "Tess Harding, unfortunately, died several months ago."

Irene looked to the floor in sadness. She then looked to Max.

"Is that why you put him up?"

Nathan shrugged, "That and because of how young you are, right?"

Max sighed and nodded.

For the first time, Phillip spoke, as he did he looked to Agent Kern.

"May I ask why an FBI Agent has been brought here, Miss Kern?"

Veronica smiled, "Not at all. Before you came here, I was explaining to the Pressman's that the reason I am here is because the medical data on Andrew was alerted to one of our field's offices. As this type of growth acceleration is rare, especially one as progressed as Andrew's, they wanted to look into it before determining whether or not it should be handed off to the Center for Disease Control."

"Are you serious? Do you really think this could be a potential outbreak? This is just a simple growth spurt, not something lethal to anyone. " Tom said.

Agent Kern shrugged, "We're not sure of anything right now and neither am I."

Max wasn't convinced at all by this.

Agent Kern then looked to Max and smiled.

"I must say, Mr. Evans, that I'm happy that you've come. This way, we'll be able to determine, upon examination, if the said growth is hereditary or originates from Andrew, only."

"Why should you? Max has never displayed this fantastic growth in anytime from his childhood." Phillip said.

Agent Kern nodded, "True, but you adopted Max when he was six, correct? You have no way of knowing, prior to adopting him and his sister Isabel that either of them had this happen to them. Unfortunately, We, at the offices, have had some trouble getting hold of Max and Isabel's records as to where they were prior to March 12th, 1989. "

* * *

Visiting her sister had its ups and downs, but Amy was happy to have made the trip with Jim Valenti.

Sara was ecstatic upon meeting her grand niece and nephew, and even meeting Jim.

Amy held back a chuckle, as Jim looked uncertain on what to do when Sara came up and hugged him.

"So, you're the Jim Valenti that Amy's been raving about." Sara said, stepping back and looking at him, up and down.

"Uh, I guess so." Jim said, feebly.

The three had an early dinner and watched the sunset before Sara had called it a night. Leaving the other two sitting outside.

The kids having been already retired to their cribs, Jim and Amy watched the stars coming out through the sun's last rays.

Looking at the stars has been a new experience for the two. Knowing now what was out there, it was a new sight to behold.

Amy sighed.

Jim looked to her, "What's on your mind?"

Amy shrugged and laughed, "Maria and Michael, what else?"

Jim nodded, "Still worried?"

Amy nodded. Ever since reading that cryptic letter from Michael saying that he was taking Maria to some sort of Specialist; Amy hasn't been able to think much of anything else.

Not that she blamed Michael for wanting to explore new areas of getting Maria back, it was just Amy wished she could be there with him.

"Apart of me wishes Michael could have taken me along with him. That, whomever Michael's taking Maria to, I could be there and be around if Maria does finally awaken."

Jim sighed, "I know how you feel. Ever since I learned about these kids, what they could do, and who they were; I've never stopped worrying."

Amy looked to him, "When was it when you found out?"

Jim shrugged, "In a way, I always knew. After Liz Parker had gotten shot at the Crashdown and, before I knew at the time, got resurrected by Max; I had a feeling that they were not from around here." Jim laughed, "Part of my father's influence, I guess. It took some time before I could realize that Max, Isabel, and Michael were more misfortunate than devious. That others were hunting them, other than me, and that these people were more interested in hurting or killing them rather than confronting them; like I was."

Amy shook her head in awe, "Wow, Jim. I guess you've had more of your share of adventures with them, huh?"

Jim laughed, "More than I cared to, on some occasions. But, more importantly, I told them that I was a law enforcement officer, and that it was my duty to protect _**everyone**_ in Roswell, not just those who are fully human. I mean, how could I not? Everything these kids have done has been out of selflessness. They even healed Kyle and me when we got shot on two separate occasions."

Amy looked to Jim in alarm, "You've never told me that!"

Jim shrugged, "Well, I wasn't sure if they were ready to have you in on who they were. I'm sorry."

Amy sighed. She guessed it was only right that both Jim and the kids didn't. Receiving Liz Parker's journal, those many months ago, Amy didn't believe any of what she read. It was only in Boise, Idaho, witnessing what was happening to Maria, that she had started to believe in the possibility of the fantastic and aliens.

Amy laughed at that. Having been the woman who peddled the most alien paraphernalia in Roswell, she was one who had still been left grounded after the kids had left them in May. And now…

* * *

While Laurie was parking the bus in front of the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Ava managed to use her powers so Michael and Kyle could get Maria past the front desk clerk up to Michael's bedroom.

Michael used his power to flash a light along the way to have their presence covered all the way to his room.

Later that night, while Kyle and Ava decided to head down and take advantage of the casino floor, Michael decided to watch TV with a still unresponsive Maria.

Michael was tempted to go into Maria's dreams and visit with her, but he decided to let her have her dreams, this time.

Looking at the clock, seeing how it was already ten o'clock, he knew that he should try and get some sleep if he was to be ready for their early departure tomorrow morning.

* * *

The next day had to be the most awkward time for Liz.

Both her and Isabel had been called by Phillip and had met him in the lobby along with, to Liz and Isabel's shock, the FBI Agent who had Kyle abducted.

Phillip, who looked as though he was going through hell, told them that Max and Isabel were to go and have some medical work done at a clinic while Liz was to be interviewed by Agent Kern.

Liz wasn't given a chance to talk with Isabel as three men came and escorted her to a nearby van.

Liz, however, got a chance to talk to Mr. Evans.

"What's going on, Mr. Evans!" She exclaimed, when they were out of ear shot of Agent Kern.

Phillip sighed as explained all that had transpired yesterday and how Agent Kern had a court order to examine Max and Isabel.

"Well, what does she want with me?" Liz asked.

Phillip shrugged, "I don't know, Liz. I could ask to be present as your lawyer, if you want."

Liz thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"No, I don't think it'll be necessary. I'll see what I can get out of her and if things get hairy I'll just use some persuasion." Liz's hand crackled with energy.

She closed it when Agent Kern came forward.

"Ready, Mrs. Evans?" She asked.

Liz nodded and bid farewell to Phillip as Agent Kern escorted her to a conference room inside the hotel.

A man posted outside the door nodded to Kern and unlocked the door for them.

Stepping inside the rather cramped conference room, Liz took a seat second closest to her, while Agent Kern took the one next to it.

Taking out a little notebook and a pen, Agent Kern smiled at Liz as she took her seat.

"Well, Liz Evans. Where shall we begin?"

Liz scowled at her, "Well, let's cut the crap, first. I know what you're planning on doing to Max and Isabel. I must say it doesn't surprise me how low you people can go."

Agent Kern looked at her in surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"C'mon now. Don't tell me this is all about worries over Zan's growth."

Veronica smiled, "Oh, you mean Andrew Pressman. Yes, that's what this is about."

Liz rolled her eyes.

"I don't know what you think is happening, Mrs. Evans; but I've been reassigned. The Supreme Court saw to that, thanks to Agent Tucker." Agent Kern said.

"Then why are you testing Max and Isabel? You know what kind of attention will come once their DNA's analyzed." Liz said, crossing her arms.

Agent Kern seemed amused, "Well, we'll worry about that later. What I want to discuss is about you, Liz Evans."

"Why?"

Agent Kern set down her pen, "Well for one thing, I've witnessed from events that shall remain unspoken, that you have some uniqueness to yourself. You seem to share a common trait that your husband and his sister have."

Liz found her blood going cold. Kern witnessed their fight with Barns and his men?

Agent Kern continued, "I was wondering if you've noticed any physical changes to yourself since you first met your husband?"

Liz heaved a sigh, "No, not really. Nothing extraordinary as aging over night, if that's what you're asking."

Agent Kern nodded and began writing in her notebook.

Liz found some comfort that this woman was bounded by her assignment and she wasn't allowed to deviate from it. However, with Max and Isabel 'under the microscope' wasn't something to put aside her.

"When will I be allowed to see my husband?" Liz asked.

"After the specialists are done with their examinations." Agent Kern said, not looking up from her notebook, when she spoke.

Liz watched her carefully, hoping that something might give way to expose the Agent's true intentions for this little Q and A. So far, nothing.

Agent Kern hummed to herself as she wrote down her notes, thinking:

_Hmmm…She worried about the DNA._

Agent Kern then underlined "DNA" on her notebook, twice.

Max wasn't sure what was worse, having some of his bone marrow extracted or his blood. It wasn't a good sign that these people had both. He knew that the same thing was happening with Isabel.

How could Max have been so foolish?

He should have sent up the warning flag on this before they left Roswell.

Zan's growth would likely to have gained attention from the government once those medical papers had went out.

Max was also felt sick to his stomach that all the faith he had put in to Robert Tucker's promise about their freedom from being hunted was too good to be true.

One thing was certain, though. Max had to get him and Isabel out of this place, and then they would have to come up with a plan to get at their samples taken from them.

Meanwhile, in the room Isabel was in, Isabel was having the same sense of determination.

Having just been left by the gynecologist specialist, Isabel thoughts were of how she could get out undetected. Isabel wished that Ava were present, as it would make escaping a lot easier.

Looking around, she found no cameras in the room, which would make unlocking the door of her room all the easier.

Upon opening the door, she looked through the crack of the opening and found the hallway completely empty.

She then saw Max, several doors over, making his way out.

Following in step, She came out and met with him.

"Well, I guess it was too much to hope for that the we'd be left alone."

Max nodded and sighed, "That and I still put Zan into danger."

Isabel shook her head, "Max, this is Tess' doing, not yours."

The two retreated back into Isabel's room, it being the closest, as two men in scrubs came into the hallway.

"Well, what now?" Isabel asked.

* * *

Early in the morning, Michael and Kyle found themselves in an odd position as they were met with curious eyes as they hoisted Maria's limp body into the bus.

"Uh, heh, partied too much." Kyle said to a couple, watching with curiosity.

The couple shrugged the moment off and went inside the casino.

Laurie and Ava followed with their things and soon they were back on the road again.

After several hours, they found themselves in Tonopah and were close to coming to Carson City.

While Ava drove, Kyle was showing off to Laurie all the winnings both he and Ava had made. Close to five thousand, to be precise.

"You did all that by luck?" Laurie asked, thinking it was hard to believe.

"Yup. I'm surprised you didn't come to the floor. You could easily pass off for a twenty-one year old." Kyle said.

Laurie shook her head, "My grandfather taught me that only a fool gambles money he has worked so hard to get."

Kyle scowled, "Hey, I worked hard to win this much."

Michael ignored their chatter as he looked out the window.

He felt like calling Max or Isabel, but he knew what kind of talk he'd get from either one of them.

Picking up the phone, he decided instead to call Amy and Jim.

It rang for several minutes and then was answered.

"Amy DeLuca's phone, Sara, her sister, speaking." Said a woman.

Michael paused and then said, "Uh, hi Sara. Is Amy or Jim around?"

"Whom should I tell them is calling?"

"Michael Guerin." Michael responded.

"Oh, so you're my niece's fiancée and father of these wonderful children." Sara said in an amused tone.

"Uh, yeah. Are they there?" Michael was afraid how long this back and forth conversation was going to go.

"Nuh uh, you're not getting off that easy, Mr. Guerin. I want to get to know you while I have you." She said.

Michael groaned.

Maria could have warned him about this.

"Now, after Maria comes to, what is it that you'll be doing? For work, that is."

Michael scratched his eyebrow.

"I'm going to start a rockband." He said sarcastically.

"Perfect! Will you be in back up for Maria while she sings? She has quite the voice doesn't she?" Sara said enthusiastically.

"Miss DeLuca, I was kidding."

"Oh," Said Sara, disappointed, "So, what will you be doing?"

Michael sighed, "Well…I guess…Are you sure Amy or Mr. Valenti aren't there?"

Sara sighed, "Fine. But don't expect for this to be the end. Here's Amy."

Michael heaved a sigh of relief.

"Michael?" Amy asked cautiously.

"Yeah, Miss DeLuca, it's me."

There was a rustling sound on the other end, which meant to Michael that Amy was either sitting down or was grabbing something.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

Michael nodded, "Everything's fine."

"And Maria?"

Michael looked down next to him, her head resting in his lap.

"She's fine, I guess. Nothing's changed since we left Roswell. How're Alex and Madeline doing? They aren't giving your sister any trouble are they?"

"No," Amy said, "They're being perfect little angels. Where are you?"

"Well, we're almost to Carson City, Nevada. We're heading to Oregon."

"So far?" Amy asked.

Michael sighed, "I'm afraid so."

There was a long pause and then Amy said, "Michael…Please don't torment yourself with this, if you don't find what you're looking for there…"

Michael smiled, "Don't worry. This will be the only time, I promise. If this turns out to be nothing…I'll wait."

Michael could hear Amy heave a loud sigh of relief.

"Be careful." She said.

* * *

Max and Isabel have been zigzagging for who knows how long.

Going from door to door, they felt they had covered the entire building. Until they found a room with a biohazard sign outside of it.

"I think this might be it." Max said.

Isabel nodded and then rested her hand against the electronic lock, having it switch from red to green, allowing them entrance.

Upon entering, they found rows of cooling cases going alongside the wall of the room.

While Isabel went to those, Max went to a file cabinet and unlocked it. Searching, he found, to his relief not only his and Isabel's patient records but Zan's as well. Waiving his hand over all three of them he changed the readout, yet had the doctor's signature still attached.

Isabel wasn't having as much luck. Having all ready rummage through five of the thirty cases, she was beginning to worry about them being discovered before she could find the vials containing their samples as well as Zan's.

After Max carefully put away their files and locked the cabinet door, he assisted Isabel in the hunt.

They both ended up hiding as two lab technicians came in and walked to a case.

"Wait, Harv', Didn't she say that she wanted the reports before the samples?" One said to the other.

"Yeah, I guess so. Man, she quite the pain in the ass; I tell ya." The other responded and went over to the filing cabinet.

Max and Isabel quietly scrambled over to the other side of the lab, as the two men went over.

"Here's all three of them. Let's get them over to her 'Royal Highness' before we find ourselves doing clean-ups, Doug." Said Harvey.

Doug nodded and the two, then, proceeded out.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Max and Isabel reemerged and went quickly to the case they were standing at before and opened it up.

Just as they predicted, theirs, along with Zan's, was in this case.

Taking the three out, Max looked to Isabel, "Should we take these?"

Isabel thought for a moment.

"Let me see them." She then took another vial out and laid two fingers on it. She then put her palm on the three Max had in his hand.

Her hand started to glow as well as her two fingers on the separate vial.

When the light diminished, she smiled.

"I think that did it. Now, let's get out of here."

Along the way, they decided it might be best not to evade the place, seeing as how they covered their tracts, or tests, rather.

Going back to their rooms, both found, separately, that there were people inside.

Unbeknownst to either of them, they both made the same excuse to his or her absence.

"I had to go to the bathroom."

Later in the day, in the late afternoon, Liz was relieved to see Max and Isabel both come back to the hotel.

"What happened? Did they…?"

Max shook his head and kissed her, "Everything's going to be okay. Isabel and I made sure of it."

Meanwhile, Agent Kern along with two other Agents and the staff at the clinic went over the paper work and the vials.

"Everything looks normal, Agent Kern," Said Agent Duchovney, "These look like normal human DNA and physical reports.

Agent Kern sighed. She really hoped that little slip of Liz Evans was going to be the key to exposing the three.

"Strange." Said Agent Crichton.

"What?" Agent Kern asked, walking over to him.

Agent Crichton was bent over a microscope looking at slides of the blood samples.

"It looks as though all three of these samples have come from one individual."

Agent Veronica Kern smiled.

They thought they had her.

"Do you want us to go pick them up to do another sample?" Asked Agent Duchovney.

Agent Kern shook her head, "No. Let them be for today. We'll use what information we have now and go from here."

Even though they managed to protect themselves, Phillip Evans wasn't so congratulatory over what his son and daughter did.

"What were you two thinking? You could have been caught!"

Max and Isabel looked at the floor and then up to their bewildered father.

"But Dad, we couldn't let them have our samples. Besides, this isn't the first time we've done this sort of thing." Isabel said.

Phillip sighed loudly as he sat down on the bed next to Max and Isabel.

"Please tell me you weren't seen."

Max nodded, "No one saw us. We got in and out undetected."

Phillip nodded feeling a little reassured.

"So, do they want anything else? A polygraph test, counseling, hypnosis…?" Phillip listed off.

Liz shrugged, "I think it's over for now. I'm sure we'll be seeing something possibly tomorrow.

Max nodded, "We'll be ready for it this time. Hopefully, they aren't going to drag Zan and the Pressman's into this anymore."

Phillip smiled at his son, "I see you aren't able to call him "Andrew" like they do."

Max sighed, "I can't. It doesn't feel right. I guess with time, maybe it'll be easier, but not right now."

Isabel looked at the clock. "Sorry to run out on you guys, but I promised Jesse that I'd call him in the evening. So, I'll see you tomorrow."

Phillip kissed his daughter on the forehead, "Tell Jesse, hi, for me."

Isabel nodded and then quickly went out.

"Well, I'm going to turn in to. I'll see you two, tomorrow for breakfast. Goodnight."

Both Max and Liz bided Phillip goodnight.

Max then turned to Liz; "Shall we go to bed too?"

Liz sighed, "Max, I'm worried. Agent Kern told me that her motivations for being here are as she says, yet I don't trust her."

"Can't blame you for not. After all, she is a member of the Special Forces Unit and probably their lead at this point." Max said.

Liz nodded, "I'm also worried about something else."

Max reached out and took her hand, "What is it?"

Liz walked over and sat down next to him.

"What's going to happen? You told me that the reason you put Zan up for adoption in the first place was to have him escape our life, our dangerous life. Now, with all that's been happening, he's being put into it, regardless."

Max nodded as he sighed, "Yea, he is."

"So, what are you going to do? Are you going to leave him with the Pressman's? They're already freaked out by him growing on them, now with the FBI interested in him, I can't imagine how much more has been put onto their fears and worries." Liz said.

Max agreed. He didn't care much for the Mr. Pressman, but his wife seemed concerned and loved Zan deeply.

Truth was, Max was torn. He couldn't decide whether or not he should intervene with the adopted family and have Zan escape with them. However, the Pressman's could be there for him, protect him, and do what's right for him.

Max felt depressed. No matter how hard he tried it seems his, or rather their troubles seemed to get involved with anyone who came into their lives.

Max had tried to shield Zan from this and failed.

"I don't know yet." He finally answered.

Liz sighed. "Well, tomorrow's sure to come and with it hopefully an answer to all our questions."

* * *

As the day passed on so did California as they went over the Donner's Pass and into the state's line.

The small group once again stopped off into a hotel for the night.

While in their room, this time, Michael decided he would pay Maria a visit.

Michael touched the photo of her and slipped off.

When he arrived on her dream plane, this time, it wasn't a memory.

He was standing in a lush garden surrounded by fruit trees.

Looking farther he saw a beautiful Tuscany villa-styled house and in the backyard of the house was a little boy and girl running around chasing eachother.

"Grrr! I'm the evil Khivar, come to take your soul!" Said the boy.

"Mom! Alex is doing that thing again!" Said the girl.

Michael rubbed his eyes as he stared at, what appeared to be older versions of Alex and Madeline.

He watched as the sliding glass door of the house open and Maria stepping outside.

"Alex, knock it off or I'll send you to your father." Maria said, sternly.

Alex's face dropped and he kicked the dirt as he looked up apologetically.

"Sorry, Mom." He said.

"Don't say sorry to me, say it to Madeline."

Alex turned to his sister, "Sorry, Sis."

Madeline hadn't heard him as she was looking into the garden and had spotted Michael.

"Daddy? What are you doing out there?" She asked and made a step forward to him.

Maria noticed Michael there and put two hands on the kid's shoulders.

"Why don't you two go inside and have some graham crackers, Mommy and Daddy need to talk."

Both cheered in joy and ran inside the house as Maria made her way to Michael.

"Hi." She said.

Michael nodded and then looked to where the two had gone.

"Quite a dream, you're having." He said.

Maria smiled, "Well, it's now perfect, now that you are here."

The two hugged eachother and kissed.

"So," Said Maria, stepping back, "What's happening on the outside?"

"Well, we're on our way to Oregon to see this Ko'dairk woman."

Maria looked as though she was worried, but she simply nodded.

"By the way," Michael said, giving his cocky smirk, "Your aunt bugs the hell out of me."

Maria grinned, "Aw, so you've made contact."

"More than I wanted to, believe me." Michael smiled.

Maria nodded, "Well, at least you didn't have to spend four birthdays with her."

Michael could feel the tug coming again.

"Maria, Something tells me that this is more like a prediction of the future rather than a dream of yours. Is this what you would like?"

Maria smiled, "Being with you and the kids is all I would ever need, 'Spaceboy'."

"Good, cause we would never be able to afford a place like this." Michael grinned.

Maria slugged him in the shoulder, while at the same time, Michael was pulled away from the dream.

Michael awoke, to his surprise on the bus, Maria resting next to him.

"Good morning!" Said Ava, cheerfully. "I got pop tarts!"

Michael groggily accepted one.

"So, how's our girl?" Laurie asked.

Michael smiled, "She's doing great." He then noticed that both girls were sitting in seats, which meant only one thing.

"Kyle's driving?"

Ava nodded, "I needed the break."

Michael got up and walked up to the front of the bus.

Kyle noticed him.

"Hey, sleeping beauty."

"Kyle you shouldn't drive with only one good eye." Michael said.

Kyle grinned at him, "Relax. I managed to have the patch to be transparent but to also protect the sun's rays from getting at me. I CAN see with both eyes, Guerin."

Michael sighed, "Just don't kill us, it is all I ask."

"Can do." Kyle remarked.

* * *

Early that afternoon, Max and Isabel were invited over by Irene Pressman to see Zan/Andrew.

Max wasn't sure how to go about it, nor what would he say to him if the question should arise of why he left him.

Isabel promised that she'd help Max.

As the two knocked on the Pressman's door, Max could swear he saw someone in the hedges.

Upon request, Isabel went over to investigate, but found there to be nothing.

Just as she returned, Nathan Pressman answered the door.

"Hello Max Evans." He said.

Max knew that Mr. Pressman was trying his best to sound polite.

"Won't you come in?" He asked.

Max nodded and once both he and Isabel were inside, he introduced her to him.

"Mr. Pressman, this is my sister, Isabel."

Both shook hands, respectfully.

Nathan then led them into the living room where Zan/Andrew was playing with some toy dinosaurs that Irene had recently bought him.

"Andrew." Nathan said, "You have some guests."

Andrew looked up at Max and Isabel and then returned to his toys.

Max and Isabel walked over and sat on the floor.

"How're you doing, Andrew? I'm Isabel and this is Max." She said.

Through having his T-Rex stomp on his Pterodactyl toy, Andrew nodded, "I know."

Max and Isabel looked at eachother.

"You know who I am?" Isabel asked, cautiously.

Andrew nodded, "I met you…before."

Isabel was stunned.

"You remember her when you were a baby?" Max asked.

Andrew nodded.

"I know you too…Daddy."

* * *

Going past Bend, Oregon, they were only a few hundred miles away from Portland and the Columbia River.

Kyle listened to the radio and hummed along to Interpol's "Evil", when all of a sudden he had them come to a complete stop.

The other three came up to him.

"Why are we stopping." Laurie inquired.

Kyle was staring directly ahead.

"Uh, Michael. I think you're right. Perhaps I shouldn't drive. I'm starting to see something's."

"What do you mean?" Asked Michael.

Kyle pointed, "That."

The others looked and saw a short guy in a denim jacket walking towards them holding a sign saying "General Rath Party."

Michael, along with Kyle and Ava, got off the bus.

Laurie, however, remained on with Maria.

The guy seemed to grin as he watched the three come forward and then held their palms out.

"Whoa, man! Chill! I come in peace!" The guy said, going to his knees.

While Kyle and Ava still had their palms out in front of them, Michael lowered his.

"What are you, another skin?" Michael asked.

The guy looked confused, "What's a skin? Nah, man I'm here to guide you to Ko'dairk. She sent me to find you and take you to her."

Michael then remembered what Mar'di had said about how Ko'dairk was able to have others do her deeds.

Michael raised his hand again.

"How do we know this isn't a trap?"

The guy laughed, "Well, you wouldn't have come if thought it was, now would you?"

Michael sighed and motioned to Kyle and Ava who lowered their hands.

"What's your name?"

The guy stood up and did a salute, "Dane Benz, at your service, General."

Michael walked up to him, "Okay, Dane, first things first; don't call me "General". Second, and this is important, if it turns out you lied to us, you won't like it. Third, How much farther?"

Dane nodded, "Okay, uh, Rath, sir?"

"Not even "Rath". It's Michael." Michael said.

"Michael. Got it. Okay, you just need to go all the way to Portland and then west to Astoria, I'll lead the way from there."

Michael nodded and pointed to the bus, "Hop on."

Dane grinned and grabbed his bag and went on board.

Ava and Kyle walked up to Michael.

"Is this wise?" Ava asked.

Kyle looked back at the bus, "Seriously, the guys a goober."

Michael groaned, "I'm not sure. I'm just hoping he knows where we're going and that he doesn't piss me off."

All three then went back on the bus and were on the way.

With Dane's instructions they had arrived in Portland in the late evening but continued on east to Astoria.

Two and a half-hours later, they had arrived.

To their amazement, after they had past the forested region, Kyle could swear he heard a weird animal sound. A Seal.

"There are Seals that like to bask on the docks over there, to your right." Dane said and everyone, minus Michael, who was driving looked over at the large black and brown shapes that were scattered on the docks.

"Wow, neat-o!" Said Ava.

They drove a little farther into town until they came upon a pink little burger shack to the left of them.

"Turn left, here." Dane instructed.

This brought them on a steep incline, going up the hillside. After going several blocks, Dane then instructed Michael to turn right.

They soon were passing through various buildings until they were now in a run down neighborhood.

"Alright, right here. We're home!" Dane said, pointing to a two-storied house that had blue paint chipping off of it.

"You've got to be kidding me. This is where she lives?" Laurie asked, looking in shock at how decrepit the place looked.

Stopping the bus, and much more to add to Laurie's horror, the yard in front of the house was filled rusting kid toys and a couple of syringes.

"Uh, sorry. I know it's not Palm Beach. There are a few junkies that live in the neighborhood." Dane said as he held open the screen door.

Michael turned to the other three, "Wait here and look after Maria."

They nodded and Michael, then proceeded on into the house.

Inside the house was worse than was on the outside.

Michael held his nose as he smelled what appeared to be a combination of mold and cat pee.

The pink rug was heavily stained by various colors, the ceiling showed evidence of water damage, and the walls were peeling off wallpaper.

Dane led Michael into and passed the kitchen, which had rats scurrying in the sink.

Going into the living room, Dane stopped.

Michael followed and stopped next to him.

Dane then went to one knee, "Ko'dairk, I have brought him, along with the others as you requested."

Michael turned to look where Dane was looking and saw the same woman from his dreams. Long white hair, wrinkled, slightly tanned skin, and white teeth, so white, that when she smiled Michael could have sworn that she could warn off ships from a lighthouse.

She wore some fake Native American Jewelry: turquoise earrings, a angling metal "dreamcatcher", and several rings on her bony fingers.

"Aww, General. You have come." She said.

"Uh, he doesn't like to be called General, Ko'" Said Dane.

Ko'dairk nodded, "Indeed. This half-breed has embraced his human half. Curious."

Dane was scratching the back of his head, "Uh, Ko'dairk?"

Ko'dairk's eyes turned to him and then back to Michael.

"I haven't forgotten, Dane. You're miserable, little, drug plant is waiting for you in the upstairs bathroom."

Dane's eyes brightened up and he quickly vacated the room.

Michael sighed, "Great. A pot-head."

Ko'dairk shrugged, "He has his usefulness." She then got up and out of her seat, "Now, General; that's right, I'm going to refer to you by your Antarian title, not by your Earth name."

She walked to the grimy window and looked out. "Is your concubine here, General?"

Michael nodded, "You said you could help her, how?"

Ko'dairk turned to him and smiled, "I will but…"

_**Here it comes.**_ Michael thought.

"You know for something to be gained, something must be given."

Michael looked at her and he folded his arms, "What exactly do I have to "give"?"

Ko'dairk then walked up to Michael and put her bony finger on his chest.

"Something of equal or greater value, General."

Michael pushed her finger away, "And what would that be?"

Ko'dairk walked back to her chair and sat down.

"Your Antarian half."

_**To be continued…**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N**: I know this ending doesn't make that much sense now, but please bear with me and it'll become clearer.

**A/N II**: Please, oh, please REVIEW! I'm dying here LOL.

_**Q-n-P**_


	16. Of Equal or Greater Value

Ko'dairk invited everyone to stay at her broken down shanty of a house only to have everyone opt to stay the night in the bus, upon seeing the inside of her house.

To Michael's irritation, Dane too came to sleep on the bus.

Michael allowed it as long as the guy didn't get "baked" inside.

Much to Michael's surprise, it wasn't just him was being annoyed by Dane Benz.

Kyle, Ava, and Laurie, as well, were too put off by this obnoxious person.

He kept on hammering the four of them with questions.

Out of all of them, Laurie was the only one who tried to be nice to him, regardless of how persistent he was with his questions.

"How about you, Dane. Where do you come from?" she asked, trying to get him off of making Kyle even more irritated.

Dane shrugged, as the two of them got off of the bus and into the cold Oregonian night's weather.

"Well, I've been all over. Basically, I'm a guy looking for adventure."

He took a moment to take out a hand-rolled cigarette and lit it he then inquired if Laurie would like one.

She shook her head, "No thank you. So, how did you get mixed up with this Ko'dairk woman?"

Dane shrugged, "While I was trying to get some hands on some good weed, at the time. A buddy of mine, that I made here, told me that she sells the best stuff. I came in and she made me a deal. Been here ever since."

Laurie shook her head, "Is that all you do? Do nothing and smoke pot all day?"

Dane laughed, "Nah, I also write. Traveling has its benefits. There's a head shop here in town that buys traveling stories. I've managed to get twenty bucks for each story I give him."

Dane looked back at the bus.

"So, what's up with your boy Michael? The guy acts like he has a stick up his ass."

Laurie laughed, "Well, my brother does have a unique personality. He only acts that way when he meets new people."

Dane looked at her, confused. "Brother? Does that mean you're a little green person yourself?"

Laurie shook her head, "No, I'm not. It's complicated but when it's all boiled down, I'm his sister."

Dane shrugged, "Well, hopefully the guy will let go of his ego and be nicer to me along the way."

Meanwhile, inside the bus, watching Laurie and Dane talk, Michael sat with Maria putting some headphones on her and playing one of her CDs.

Michael knew that if she were awake she would not really like this Dane guy as he did.

Maria had once told him if she ever caught him smoking pot, she would kick his ass severely.

Dane wasn't all that bad though, again, it was just that Michael didn't trust him. The fact he was willing to be with Ko'dairk just to get high made him dangerous, in Michael's eyes.

Ko'dairk…

Michael felt uneasy as to the cryptic deal and what she meant by "your Antarian half". Upon telling Kyle and Ava about what she wanted, both were confused and had only guesses as to what this meant.

Kyle's guess was that maybe she wanted to take away Michael's powers, while Ava thought it meant something more weirder.

"Perhaps she wants to take away the alien side and make Michael completely human."

Michael had no idea what the fine print was on this deal, but looking down at Maria, he knew that whatever sacrifice he would have to make, of himself, he was prepared to do it.

**Chapter Sixteen: Of Equal or Greater Value**

Max, ever since the day before yesterday, didn't know exactly how to feel about what has all transpired.

Ever since finding out that his son knew fully well on who both Max and Isabel were, and that the FBI had yet to stop their investigations; Max hadn't been feeling very well.

A part of him relished in the idea that he wasn't a complete stranger to his son, yet his behavior told Max that this wasn't a great day for him. Probably due to the strange people prodding him with questions and medical tests.

Liz could tell. Seeing Max lying in bed curled up and just staring at the door, in their hotel room; this had to be nerve wracking to him.

Isabel and Mr. Evans seemed to be in similar moods.

Isabel had been on a lot of phone calls with Jesse and Phillip was talking a lot to Tom Simpson about whether or not he knew when the FBI's investigation would be over.

As for Liz…

Standing next to the window of their room, she watched outside as silver sedan never to seem to have moved since yesterday, when she had first spotted it.

Every once in awhile, as she noticed, one of the men would glance upwards to their room and then back to the newspaper he was reading.

It took a lot of control, on Liz's part, not to go down there and fling the car upside down. It didn't help her that Max was moping.

"Max, we should do something."

Max, for the first time since this morning, turned and sighed.

"What should we do, Liz?"

Liz threw her hands up, "I don't know, something! We can't stay cooped up in this room all day!"

"That's probably what they're thinking too." Max said.

Liz walked to the door.

"Liz? Where are you going?"

"Out!" She then opened the door and slammed it behind her.

Standing outside of the room, against the wall next to it, Liz had hoped her dramatic outburst would have Max coming out and either follow her or plead with her to return.

It didn't.

Liz groaned. How long was he going to be like this? How long were they going to be here?

Liz walked down the hallway and downstairs to the lobby.

As she stepped out of the doorway, she noticed a man with a hearing piece sitting in a chair not far from entrance.

Liz, then, decided.

If these people weren't going to let them have a moment's peace, then neither will they.

Max had watched Liz leave and at first was tempted to go after her, but then the cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Max? It's Kyle."

Max got up and stretched, "Hey, Kyle. Haven't heard from you four in a while, where are you guys?"

"In a crappy neighborhood in Astoria, Oregon; you?"

Max shrugged, "Still in Newark. Is that where Ko'dairk's at? Oregon?"

Kyle sighed on the other end, "Yeah, and let me tell you, it makes the slums of Roswell look like Beverly Hills."

Max laughed, "That bad, huh?"

"Yeah, hey listen, the reason that I called is that I'm worried."

Max held the phone close to his ear, "Worried about what?"

"The deal Michael and Ko'dairk made."

"What deal?"

Kyle seemed confused, "Uh, he hasn't told you yet?"

Max rubbed his eyes, "I haven't spoken with Michael in over a couple of days. What's the deal that they made?"

Kyle sighed, "Well, it goes like this…"

* * *

Just a little while ago, Michael was given the full detail by Ko'dairk on what was actually going to happen and what she meant by "your Antarian half". Even when she told him what would happen; Michael was having a hard time believing it. 

She told him that the basis of his DNA structure was actually 100 human. His junk DNA, however that would normally have no apparent function, if he were born human, was active with alien DNA and that it made him, rather, 150 of that of a being.

When Michael had sat in that God-awful place called a house, of Ko'dairk's, she brought out a jewelry box that contained stones similar to those that Max, Michael, and Isabel had buried. The only difference was that these stones were pure white and had symbols on them. The symbols looked like stretched lightening bolt symbols. She then produced a purple perfume bottle that contained a red liquid, which smelled heavenly.

"These are the stones of Cobersh and this is the Tempest Wine." She had explained to him. "You'll be bathed in the Wine thus stopping everything going on in your body, except your mind."

Michael examined the bottle, "Is this going to be enough?"

Ko'dairk flashed her teeth, "You'll soon see, General."

Michael then thought for a moment, "You said 'stop everything going on in my body', does that include my heart? Cause that'll kill me, won't it?"

Ko'dairk shrugged, "I highly doubt it. Every living creature who's gone with the "Cleansing" ritual, only half of them died."

Michael remembered scowling at her, "Half? What are my chances?"

Ko'dairk gave him a smug smile, "You've been living a half-breed's life for a long time. It's uncertain whether or not you'll survive. The question is, are you Antarian enough to go through with this for your concubine's sake?"

Michael nodded, "That's why I'm here."

Ko'dairk nodded, "Then it shall be done, General."

Before Michael left, he turned, "Why is it that you want to help me?"

Ko'dairk closed her eyes, "I've lived a much regretful life. Choosing my desires over my duties. Someone who's lived as selfishly as I have must repay somewhere along the way. Is that all, General?"

Michael sighed, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good, then leave me be. We'll start the Cleansing tomorrow evening."

Michael remembered thinking that he saw her smiled just as he was leaving.

Staring at the house, from with inside the bus, Michael had told everyone, in detail, of what had been said.

Once he had finished, he let the area pen up for discussion.

As he had expected, they were all against it.

"Are you kidding me? You aren't seriously going to go through this?" Kyle said, wide-eyed.

"I told all of you that I was prepared to do anything, this being it." Michael said, folding his arms.

Ava sighed, "But, Michael…"

"What happens if you die? What then? Alex and Madeline won't have a mother or a father to be with them. Haven't you took that into account?" Laurie said, her brow furrowing.

Michael sighed, "They need a father and a mother. Why should this turn to the worst? I might be able to pull through, this, you guys."

No one spoke and then Ava, again sighed and said, "At least talk to Maria about this. If she says jump than I guess we'll have our fingers crossed."

Michael took a deep breath then nodded and went to Maria just as Kyle got out his cellphone and dialed.

"Who're you calling?" Ava asked.

"Max." Kyle said.

Back with Maria, Michael touched the photo of her in the group picture and lay down next to her as he felt himself getting weary.

Going through the usual dive in to the "rabbit hole" of her mind, he found himself in an elegant restaurant in Roswell.

Marco's, a place Maria had always talked about going to and possibly kick starting her singing career by performing there, was a place neither Michael nor Maria could afford to go to.

In the corner of the restaurant, next to a baby grand piano, dressed in a flowing, black, sequined, dress; Maria leaned against the front of the piano as she sang:

"_**There've been so many times, oh so many times that I have seen**_

_**your face watching me from oh so far away**_

_**Even if I were to scream out loud, or even to shout, I'd still not know what to say**_

_**Cause you're that far**_

_**That far away from me**_

_**Never knowing, never telling me**_

_**What it is you want to say"**_

The pianist then kicked in with a blusey rhythm and after several notes it went back to Maria.

"_**Like the flower that breaks from the Earth and takes its first breath from the sky**_

_**I see you move your lips and the say the words "I love you and I finally know why."**_

_**Then I cry as I realize that this is just a dream**_

_**Reality will take me over and…"**_

Maria then stopped as she saw Michael in the audience.

She then smiled, "We'll be back after a short break."

Michael looked around and was amazed to see no one was complaining of the performance being cut.

As Maria made her way up to him, Michael eyed over her in her outfit and smiled.

They were going to have to get something like that for her, once she was awake.

"'Spaceboy', You're here!" She hugged him and kissed him.

Michael smiled, "Aren't they going to be upset that you stopped?"

Maria smiled, "Hey, it's my dream, they do I want them to."

Michael laughed, "Like me, huh?"

Maria shook her head, "Well, that's debatable."

Michael nodded

Maria, noticing he hadn't said anything for awhile, hit him on the shoulder, "So, what's up?"

Michael led them to the bar and sat down on the stools.

"Maria, I made the deal with Ko'dairk."

She sighed and swallowed, "What does she want in return?"

Michael told her everything and when he finished Maria looked away.

"Maria?"

Maria shook her head, "I can't believe that you're willing to do that just for me."

"For you and the kids." Michael added.

Maria nodded and then looked abruptly back at him.

"Michael, what if you die? Those kids need their father in their life!"

Michael closed his eyes, "That's why I'll come up with a plan "B", just in case."

* * *

Isabel had just finished up with talking with Jesse, when she heard someone knocking at her door. 

Getting up and then going to the door and peering through the peephole, she sighed in relief upon seeing that it was Max.

She opened the door, "Hi, Max."

Max came in and turned around to face her.

"I have a problem." He said.

After closing the door, Isabel went over and sat on her bed as Max began to pace back and forth.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Kyle called me. It turns out Michael went ahead and made the deal with Ko'dairk to have Maria come out of her catatonic stupor."

Isabel stared at him, "What?"

Max nodded, "It gets worse. According to Michael, what she wants is his Antarian "half", meaning she plans to have his alien DNA extracted from his body, and in doing so could possibly kill Michael."

Isabel shook her head, "Michael…" She then looked up at Max, "What should we do? Leave and go to where ever they are and stop him from doing this?"

Max sat down next to Isabel on the bed and groaned, "I don't know what to do, Isabel. I want to stop Michael from doing this, yet I have to make sure Zan's going to be okay and that the FBI stop hunting him."

Isabel sighed, "Well, it's been almost two days and the FBI or that Agent Kern woman haven't been around us, maybe they were telling the truth?"

Max looked at her, "Are you serious?"

Isabel shrugged, "Or maybe this is just the calm before the storm. I know you're torn, Max, but you're right. You need to make sure things are okay here, first."

Max sighed, "Nothing is simple for us, is it?"

Isabel nodded. "Have you talked to Liz?"

Max shook his head, "No, I haven't. She got upset and left the room."

* * *

Liz wasn't sure at all if what she was about to do was either the right thing or a sane idea; but at the moment, she felt entitled. 

Going over to the Agents' parked vehicle, she waived her hands over the tires causing them to burst.

The men inside the van, quickly got out and expected the vehicle as Liz was musing from far away. She then waived her hand at the engine causing it to run out of all fluids.

To complete her little prank, she also waived her hand and released the emergency brake, causing the van to go falling south down the deep incline of the street.

Both Agents rushed after it calling to anyone who was in its path to get out of the way quickly.

Watching her from afar, were two men with raybans sitting in an unmarked van across from the street.

"This must be one of them, Vladimir." One said to the other.

The other thought for a moment and then shook his head, "Da, Alexi, but this isn't the one we were told to get. We need only concern ourselves with the two."

* * *

As the day wore on, Michael, to his surprise found himself outside of the bus next to Dane. 

Dane found the situation awkward, as well, but tried his best, none the less, to be jovial.

"This is a pretty crappy place of hers, isn't it?"

Michael, for the first time upon meeting Dane, smiled, "What made her choose this one out of all the others?"

Dane shrugged, "It's low-key, I think. She mentioned that she was on the run from the alien-man, that there were a lot of officials out there that'd like to string her up for all the crimes that she's committed."

She was using Michael to save her conscience.

Michael sighed. Being used was something that wasn't new to him.

Michael turned to Dane, "What do you get out of all of this, besides weed?"

Dane smiled, "Why, meeting you guys, of course. I'd have to say, meeting a pair of aliens and their friends marks the highest on my list."

Michael shook his head. This guy was seriously way too friendly.

Looking at his watch, Michael realized that it was almost seven in the afternoon, early evening.

"Sorry to cut this short, Dane, but I need to get some shut-eye so I can prepare myself for tomorrow evening."

Dane nodded and took out some of his stash.

"Gotcha, See you tomorrow, Mikey."

* * *

Late in the evening, Max was invited over to the Pressman's for dinner. 

At first he wasn't sure if he should go, seeing as how that there was more on his mind and that he was uncomfortable with the idea of being hounded for questions by Mr. Pressman.

With a little encouragement by Isabel and his father, Max finally caved in and went.

Arriving, he rang the doorbell and was met at the front door by Zan.

"Hi." He said.

Max nodded, "Hi, Za, er, Andrew."

The boy smiled, "You can call me "Zan" if you want to, Max."

Max sighed, "I don't think they'll like it though." Max motioned his head to inside the house.

Andrew shrugged and opened the door.

Upon entering, Max could hear Mr. and Mrs. Pressman bickering.

"Is everything alright?" Max asked Andrew.

Andrew nodded, "Dad's just upset that you're coming over. Mom's the one who invited you and she didn't tell him."

"How long have they been at it?" Max asked, again.

Andrew sighed, "A little while, now."

As Andrew closed the door, Max hung up his jacket and followed Andrew into the livingroom and sat with him on the couch.

Max could fully understand what was being said between the agitated Nathan and the overwhelmed Irene.

"What do you impact do you think this will have on Andrew, bringing his father over for dinner here?" Nathan said.

"Nathan, you're his father. Max Evans hasn't seen his son in a long while, WE adopted him; can't you see that?" Irene pointed out.

"Irene, it's a bad idea, you've heard that Agent Kern; Max and his family are under a lot of suspicion, it isn't a good idea having him in our home and near our son."

"It's just dinner, Nathan."

Nathan came out of the livingroom and stopped in his tracks seeing Max and Andrew looking at him.

"Oh, uh, hi, Max." He said.

Max nodded to him, "Mr. Pressman."

Irene followed out and was too shocked and embarrassed to se Max there.

Both tried to make apologies to account for their behavior, but Max simply shrugged.

"No need. Is dinner ready?"

Irene nodded and led him and Andrew in, while Nathan cast a frown at Irene.

Dinner went better as everyone went onto different discussions.

Irene asked Max what he planned to do since he was still a newlywed and Nathan, who was in the real-estate game, talked to Max, should he ever decide to get a house what sort of traps he and Liz should watch out for.

It was all going a little smoother until Andrew spoke.

"Max, what happened to my birth-mom? How did she die?"

Max seemed to have dropped his fork and stumbled to retrieve it, while Irene looked at Andrew with firmness.

"Andrew, that's not good table conversation."

Andrew looked pleadingly at her, "But, I wanna know."

Nathan shook his head, "Not at the dinner table, young man. I'm sure Max will be able to tell you sometime."

Max sighed, "He's right, Andrew. It'd be better to discuss this with you some other time. Right now I'm more interested in how you're liking school."

Andrew, upset that his first question wasn't answered, pushed away his plate and got out of his seat.

"May I please be excused?"

Irene looked at the clock and nodded, "It's almost past your bedtime, so alright. Say goodnight to everyone."

Andrew got out of his seat and went over and hugged Nathan."

"Goodnight, Dad."

Nathan hugged him back, "Night, kiddo."

Andrew then walked over to Max, "Good night, Max."

Max nodded, "Night, Andrew."

Andrew made a face, and Max realized that, that was a moment where Andrew wanted to be called Zan.

Max sighed, although he wanted to say it so much, he knew in the presence of these two, it would only be met with hostility.

As Irene cleared the table, Nathan looked to Max.

"So, Mr. Evans. How long are you four going to be here?"

Max sighed, "We'll be leaving tomorrow, actually."

Nathan nodded, "I apologize for my recent behavior, Max. I haven't been the best host, and it's only because of Andrew that I'm acting this way."

Max nodded, "I know me coming out of thin air to see him, wasn't comforting for either of you."

Nathan shrugged, "Well, maybe. I know I, especially, felt uncomfortable because I thought you were going to take him away from us. Still, it was no excuse for me to be acting the way I have been."

Irene nodded, "You're very welcome to come over anytime you like, Max. Anytime."

Max smiled, "Thank you, both of you. For letting me have a chance to meet Andrew."

Both Nathan and Irene nodded.

Max got up out of his chair, "Well, I'd better…"

Max was cut off as a whisper of sound followed by breaking of wood was heard, and soon Nathan Pressman's head fell back as his forehead was punctured and blood came out of it and the back of his head.

"Nathan!" Irene shouted and she ran to her husband.

Max made a move to prevent her from being shot, only too late as several other bullets came whizzing in the air and struck her in the back multiple times.

Hearing her rigid breathing, Max's first instinct was to heal her, but then he heard Andrew shouting from his room.

Andrew.

Max then ran with all his might to Andrew's bedroom and opened the door to find several men in white suits, one of whom was dragging Andrew out the open window.

Max held out his hand and had the man releasing his grasp and go flying into the bushes.

Another man fired a tazer-gun at Max, the needles gouging into his skin and brought Max to the floor, writhing and convulsing.

Andrew hurriedly went to him, only to be the same fate, as another tazer-gun was fired upon him and he too ended up on the floor.

* * *

It was Agent Kern who had called up Liz, Isabel, and Phillip Evans up the very next morning. 

Bringing them to the Pressman's.

Liz, as their cab came within the vicinity of the Pressman's house, looked in terror and she saw an ambulance exit the scene.

Once parked Liz and Isabel dodged the policemen barracading the residence and both came into the house shouting Max's name.

"He's not here."

Both turned to see Agent Kern.

"What happened here?" Liz asked and she then looked into the kitchen and then saw blood on a seat.

Agent Kern sighed, "Nathan and Irene Pressman were found dead. Man Evans and Andrew Pressman were taken away by someone in an unmarked van."

Isabel flashed her a dirty look. "Special Unit, maybe?"

Veronica sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't work for them anymore. I've been reassigned."

Then, a second man came up to Agent Kern.

"Agent, we've got something you should look at."

Agent Kern nodded and left the two as she went with the other Agent outside and around to the side of the house.

"We have a man who was thrown from the young boy's room. He's dangerously injured; the paramedics say he doesn't have much time, but have left him here for questioning."

Agent Kern nodded and followed up to the crowd of officers surrounding an object.

Lying on the ground, surrounded by police officers was a man in a white suite. From the looks of it, a biohazard suit.

His hood was removed and the man's jaw was covered in blood but he was breathing. He then opened his eyes and looked around.

Several officers point their guns at him.

Agent Kern gestured with her hand for them to lower them.

She then bent down to the man.

"What's your name?" She asked.

The man grunted as he tried to move his legs, one was broken.

"Dr. Peter Kalowitz." He said.

One of the men on the scene bent low and whispered to Agent Kern.

She nodded and then turned to the doctor.

"Dr. Kalowitz, where are Max Evans and Andrew Pressman?"

He then smiled, "My dear Agent Kern, surely you must already know?"

Agent Kern scowled, "How do you know my name? I don't know, why would I?"  
The man then laughed, "You Americans are so predictable. We tell you nothing and you accept it without question."

"What's that suppose to mean?" She asked.

He then gave her another grin; "You led us right to him, Agent. To both of them; you've made us proud."

Agent Kern gritted her teeth, "What?!"

The doctor shrugged, "You've done the Special Unit proud."

Agent Kern leaned in closer to him, "The Special Unit, is no more. The Supreme Court sought to that."

The man eyed her, "Oh, really? The Special Unit is not from America, Agent Kern. You should know that."

Agent Kern's eyes went wide, "What?"

The man nodded.

Veronica's mind went wild as it tried to process this, but, in the end, she got up.

"I'll ask you again, where's Max Evans and Andrew Pressman?"

The man shrugged, "Somewhere in the 'Motherland' right now, I guess."

* * *

The day passed very quickly and Michael had spent most of it with either Kyle or Ava or Laurie. 

Talking with them helped a little as Michael was nervous as hell about what he was about to go through.

When he had finished his time with them he then went to Maria for one last time.

Michael had set up a plan with Kyle and Ava to have an EKG machine ready just in case Michael's hear were to stop or if he were to slip off. The two had secured the machine from a nearby hospital and had gotten the information, courtesy of Ava's 'memory reading' technique.

Laurie was to be there with Maria while Michael was undergoing the Cleansing and would help her once she woke up.

As the evening set in, Dane came out of the house and announce that it was time.

Michael told Dane that if things turn for the worse, he would run outside and get Kyle and Ava.

"Aw, so now you trust me, right?" He asked, smiling.

Michael sighed, "We'll see. Will you do this for me?"

Dane nodded and led Michael in.

Inside the house were various candles lit, creating a path for the two to be led into the bathroom up the stairs.

Standing at the entrance to the bathroom was Ko'dairk.

She flashed her shark-like white teeth.

"General, it is time."

Michael nodded and she stepped back to allow him inside.

The bathroom was as bad as the rest of the house.

The mirror was cracked, a couple of floorboards were missing, and cockroaches scurried around on the floor.

"You should really sue the person who got you this place." Michael said, with half-of-a-smile.

Ko'dairk ignored the comment. She led him to the bathtub and instructed him to remove all of his clothes.

Looking inside the bathtub, the white porcelain cracked and a rusting stain coming from the spout, he frowned.

"Can I at least have my boxers on?" He asked.

Ko'dairk, shook her head, "No. Clothing will be an obtrusion. Remove everything, now."

Michael sighed as he stripped off his clothing and scrunched into the puny tub.

Ko'dairk took out the Tempest's Wine and poured the contents into the tub, emptying out the entire glass case.

Michael found the smell of it coming into his nostrils, filling him with relaxation.

To his amazement, the liquid started to grow and was filling up the tub!

Once it filled all the way up, and around his neck, he found the liquid to be incredibly cold.

"What ever you do, half-breed, do not move." Ko'dairk said, firmly.

Michael was having difficulty as he found it soon to be freezing.

Ko'dairk then took out the jewelry box containing the stones.

Waiving her hands over them she mumbled some cryptic words and the stones flashed.

She then laid one of the stones in the tub and Michael found himself to be paralyzed.

He couldn't even breathe.

Clutching the other stone, Ko'dairk was giving off some sort of sing-song like prayer, which reminded Michael of the time when he visited the Indian camp ground and joined them in a ritual.

Hearing her words, along with the flash of those teeth of hers; Michael's vision suddenly turned black.

Then bright white.

Other colors soon came into play and then he had a vision. This was of planets spanning in the solar system. Each of these planets rapidly began to change color. His view then went to Earth.

A fast space his vision was zoomed down and to the bus where Maria lay.

He was inside the bus now, and he watched Laurie sitting and stroking Maria's hair.

Michael was fixated on Maria's face and as he was he felt incredibly amounts of pain come to him and just as the pain grew more intense, he saw Maria's eyes flicker and then everything went to black again.

* * *

Back on the bus, Laurie jumped as Maria shot her body forward, her eyes wide open and gave out a huge gasp. 

"Maria! You're back!" Laurie shouted and hugged her.

Maria looked to Laurie and hugged back, tears swelling up her eyes.

Kyle and Ava were soon to rush onboard.

"Maria!" Both shouted and came and hugged her as well.

As soon all was done, Maria looked to all of them.

"Where's Michael?" She asked.

Dane greeted the four of them as they came inside.

"The Cleansing is done." He said.

"And Michael?" Kyle asked, worried.

Dane nodded, "He's fine, but extremely weak, I wouldn't…"

He was cut off as Maria ran past him and up the stairs to the bathroom.

Inside, Ko'dairk was using a tube as she drained the tub and put the liquid into a crystal jar. She looked to see Maria in the doorway.

"Aw, the General's Concubine has awoken. He's quite weak dear. Better have him rest for several days." Ko'dairk flashed her teeth.

Maria found the woman to be totally creepy, she looked past her and to Michael who was wide-eyed and gasping for breath.

"Michael!" Maria shouted and bent down next to the tub and put her arms around his neck.

She found his whole head covered in sweat and blood trickling down his nostrils and ears.

With pain, he turned his head to Maria.

"Ma…Maria." He gasped.

Maria smiled, "I'm back."

**_To be continued…_**

**A/N**: I apologize for the song. I can't write music lyrics for the life of me. I also apologies for how late this story is; I've had several writers' blocks.

**A/N II**: Just so you know, in case those of you are wondering, what the hell I was trying to say with that scene involving the mortally wounded scientist and Agent Kern. I was trying to reveal that Russians in fact created the Special Unit and that it was Russians who have kidnapped Max and Andrew/Zan. Why they did it and why they created the Special Unit? Well, you'll have to find out in the next chap.

**A/N III**: Reviews are needed good and bad, so please give them.

**_Q-n-P_**


	17. Russian RoulettePart One

Sitting in a saloon in Newark, Agent Veronica Kern drank the night away as she questioned as to what her next step would be.

Everything had become a mess, in her eyes. The very people to whom had given her respect, even with what little information she had given them, as to her reasons for coming to them; were now dead. Even more troublesome was the light of the fact that the division of the FBI, the Special Unit, which she used to work for wasn't any part of the Federal Bureau. To make matters worse, the boy she was in charge of keeping tabs on, in matters to his unusual health, had now been abducted along with his biological father, Max Evans.

Taking another chug of her beer, Veronica sighed. Having reported back to Washington, her instructions were to track down the foreigners and prevent them leaving the country with the two abductees.

If that were to fail?

She knew that Interpol would be contacted and that it would be handed over to them.

Agent Kern shook her head. She didn't want that.

No, this was her mistake, and her's alone. What could have prevented this was that she should have had two Agents standing by at the house. This was HER problem, she was responsible for it.

Would she be able to do this, though?

Draining the remainder of the Coors, Agent Kern walked back to her car and thought for a moment.

She could use some help with this; trouble was were they going to let her ask it?

**Chapter Seventeen: Russian Roulette… Part One  
**

As Max Evans awoke, he found the area in which he was in, impeccably dark.

Trying to adjust his eyes to the very minimal amount of light that was given to him, he could make out that he was in the back of a van.

Moving his wrists, he found them to be bound by some sort of plastic twine. His ankles were given the same type of restraint.

Due to the awkwardness of how he was positioned, Max was unable to move himself in a way as to use his powers to free himself.

Squinting through the inky darkness, Max was able to make out the shape of his son.

Hearing the tires going over the divots and potholes in the road had Max thinking that they were traveling at a fast speed.

Max lay back down his head against the cold metal floor of the van, sighing.

They were alive, that was a plus. Yet, to where they'd be going and what fate was in stored for them there was quite another.

* * *

Michael's breathing was shallow, as the group had removed him from the house and back onto the bus. His skin was pale and he was continuing to cough up small amounts of blood.

Maria was worried, Dane had told them that this should only last a couple hours, according to Ko'dairk.

Maria didn't think much of Dane and was even less impressed when she met Ko'dairk.

Ko'dairk, to Maria, was someone who had used Michael for some unknown purpose. Maria had mixed feelings as to how she felt of this strange person who helped bring her back and put Michael into this dangerous ailment.

As luck would have it, Ko'dairk offered little help.

It seemed that she had become colder and distant as soon as the Cleansing ritual was over and done with.

Along with Kyle, Ava, and Laurie; Maria and them tried their best to help Michael through his predicament.

Sitting on the bus, the other thoughts on the minds of the four were what to do now.

"Well, Now that Maria's back with us, shouldn't we head back to Roswell to meet up with Max and the others?" Ava asked.

Laurie nodded, "And since this Ko'dairk woman isn't being much of any help, shouldn't we get Michael back to Max so he can heal him, before this gets any worse?"

Maria thought those were all good ideas, but something inside her told her that they needed to stay, if only for a little longer.

"Why don't we wait until Michael's a little better before leaving. If something goes bad we can always take him to the hospital, and it won't be a problem now that he won't have anything to hide from the doctors."

Everyone nodded, with the exception of Michael.

Kyle was the only other who hadn't spoken.

Maria had noticed that he had been quiet a lot ever since she had awoken.

Ava had noticed as well, but she had been around prior to Maria's awakening.

Later, as the two sat outside of the bus, she nudged him.

"Hey, is everything alright?"

Kyle took a deep sigh. "I don't know."

"What's on your mind, Kyle Valenti?" Ava asked, playfully.

Kyle looked at the disgrace of a house.

"I know I should be happy that Maria's back with us, but…" Kyle looked behind him at the bus. "Michael's decision to give away something so valuable to him, the one thing that has protected him through the most direst of circumstances; was it the right choice to make?"

Ava shrugged, "He feels it was. Maria's return was really important to him."

Kyle sighed, again. "But, what's he going to do, now that he's powerless? How is he going to protect Maria and the kids, now that he's, well, human?"

Ava smiled, "He'll do anything, I suppose. I'm still new to this gang, but Michael's a pretty clear picture when it comes to what he represents."

Kyle laughed, bitterly. "Yeah, he'll do anything. I know that. What concerns me, though, is what he'll do is now going to get him killed."

* * *

Michael felt like hell. Every muscle in his body, everything inside of him, was crying out of agony.

He was sweating profusely; his long hair clung damply to his clammy, pale skin. He couldn't stop shaking.

The only warmth he was feeling was seeing Maria being active and talking with Laurie.

It had been a success. She was back.

Whatever happened from here on in, to him, didn't matter.

He was human, so what?

If being stripped of his powers and alien heritage was the price he had to pay to have Maria awake and lively, then so be it.

Maria noticed he had awakened and she stopped her conversation to lean over and wipe some sweat away from Michael's brow.

"Hey, 'Spaceboy', you should get some more sleep. That weirdo, Dane, says you should at least get twenty-four hours if you're to make a full recovery."

Michael, amidst his pain, managed a cocky smile.

"Ah…so…that's what…Doctor Pot-Head…says…huh?"

Maria smiled back, "Yeah. So, rest up."

Michael closed his eyes as his chest, painfully rose and fell with each ragged breath.

Tears formed in Maria's eyes as she watched this and she decided to tear herself away from him and join Ava and Kyle outside.

Upon exiting, Maria, along with Kyle and Ava looked in terror as a bloodied version of Dane came flying from the entrance to the house and came to a crashing halt just a few feet from them.

Rushing to him, Ava and Kyle stood alert to see if the attacker was to come out, while Maria attended to Dane.

"Dane! Dane! What happened."

Dane Benz opened up his only uninjured eye and looked wearily at Maria.

"Ko'dairk…Happened."

After that being said, an errie cackle came from the house.

* * *

It was uncertain who was more surprised by the early afternoon visit by Agent Kern, Liz or Isabel.

Neither had much to say to the woman as she sat in the hotel room where the two were. Neither had pleasant looks about them, either.

"Look, I know after what's been done in the past, the last thing you'd believe from me is me saying I had nothing to do with this." Agent Kern said, sighing. "But the fact remains is Max and Andrew have been abducted by this anonymous, foreign, group; and I'm asking for your help to go and find them."

Liz looked to Isabel, and just as she had expected, her face was full of skepticism.

"Like you said, Agent, after all that's happened in the past, It's hard for us to trust you. Do you really think we give our trust so easily to a woman who helped a butcher capture and mutilate our friends?" Isabel asked, her eyes giving a deadly, penetrative stare.

Agent Kern shook her head, "Actually, no. I don't expect you two to trust me so easily, or even trust me at all right now. What I'm hoping for is a little bit of sense. I have the same goal you two do, to get those two back."

Liz crossed her arms, "And if we accomplish getting them back, what then? I know for a fact that you know exactly what Max and Andrew are, biologically speaking. Are we really to believe that you don't have an alliterative motive for going to rescue them?"

Agent Kern smiled, "I guess me repeating the phrase "I'm no longer apart of the 'Special Unit' anymore", isn't going to convince you two, anymore than it already has."

Both Isabel and Liz nodded.

Agent Kern sighed, "Look, it was my mistake, my misjudgment, that allowed those two to be kidnapped and the Pressman's to be murdered. I want to redeem my actions; this is the only way I know how. Whether or not you believe that is entirely up to the both of you. Regardless, I'm going to get those two back, but I could use some help."

Isabel and Liz looked at eachother and then back to Agent Kern.

"What makes you think we'd be of any help? We've had not training in search and rescue nor any kind of field training." Isabel said.

Agent Kern nodded, "I know. What I also know is that there's more to you two that meets the eye. Your, unique, abilities set you apart from any trained Agent, thus making you invaluable."

Liz laughed, "So, it finally comes out. You mean to exploit us."

Agent Kern shook her head, "No, that's twisting what I was saying. We have a common goal here, to rescue Max and Andrew. If you like there's a third portion to this as well."

Isabel looked at her curiously. "What do you mean, 'a third portion'?"

"Well, from what I gathered from the man we recovered, shortly before he died, that the 'Special Unit' wasn't even created by the FBI or anyone from the US Government. The KGB in Russia, created it during the late fifties."

Isabel and Liz exchanged looks of surprise.

"Excuse me? The Special Unit is a Russian organization?" Liz asked, her mouth gaped in surprise.

Agent Kern smiled, "That was my reaction, if even more so. I'll bet you were wondering why the general Director of the FBI looked so disgusted that Agent Tucker was making such an association to him and such a group. The FBI had nothing to do with it, yet we were being blindly told that it was apart of the branch of the Bureau."

Liz unfolded her arms, "Assuming what you're saying is true and you're earnest in your plan and your resolve, where exactly are you planning to look? If they so much as go across the sea and to the other side of the world, isn't that out of your jurisdiction, Agent Kern?"

Agent Kern laughed, "Yes, yes it is. But, I've already decided that I'm going; the question is, will you two come with me and help get Max and Andrew back safely?"

* * *

Sitting on the front porch of his house, Jim Valenti slowly rocked in the rocking chair he had made when he was off the force and into his wood carving phase, as he held baby Alex.

Humming an old Johnny Cash song, Jim rocked in the chair, looking down at the tiny figure in his arms.

Looking out at the urban settling, unto which his house was situated with, his mind went to that of his son and his friends.

He wondered if his son would have a moment like Jim was having now: sitting in front of a house that he owned and rocking a baby of his to sleep.

Jim sighed, he knew ever since the shooting at the Crashdown Café that nothing was going to be what he thought it should.

Then again, should it?

Life itself has always been on the unpredictable slide and has never been known for being predictable. Like when Jim's wife had left him.

Taking a moment to glance over his shoulder at the house, Jim smiled.

Having Amy more in his life was another turn of events unpredicted; it was a welcomed one, though.

Taking in the closed eyes of the little one, whose thumb was moistly placed between his lips, Jim then thought of Michael and Maria.

Having gotten a call from Kyle that She was out of harms way and that Michael would soon recover, as well; Jim felt that things will gradually come back to normal, at least he hoped they would.

"Jim. Are you still out there? It's getting late, might want to turn in." Amy called from inside.

"Be right in, in a sec'." Jim called back quietly, as so not awaken the slumbering Alex.

Going inside and closing the door, unbeknownst to Jim, the handle of the doorknob had melted.

* * *

It had taken awhile for Dane to come out of whatever had happened to him and considering how neither Kyle and Ava had any training or ability to heal; it took a lot of patience to wait for him to tell them what had happened.

Dane noisily gulped his water down and then turned to the group.

"Ko'dairk…Ko'dairk's been using the fluid from the bathtub. Along with those stones…She's insane, man!"

Michael, even though he was in worse condition than what Dane was in, managed to prop his head up, if but a little and listened in.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that she's using Michael's Antarian drained goop?" Kyle asked out of bewilderment.

Dane nodded. "Yeah, she has it on a necklace, along with those stones, that and…"

Maria put a hand on his shoulder, "That and what?"

Dane took a deep breath. "When I went inside the house, I found a girl, who looked like our age, looking around some of my clothes. I confronted her and when she turned to me, I saw that bottle and those stones around her neck. I asked who she was and what she was doing and that's when she revealed herself to be Ko'dairk, only eighteen years old!"

Kyle slammed his fist against one of the seats on the bus, "I knew it! I knew it was too good to be true!"

Ava tried to calm him down while Laurie and Maria still looked on to Dane with questions.

"What exactly does she plan on doing?" Laurie asked.

Dane drank some more water and then sighed, "There are pictures in her room, pictures of a Job Corps center here in Astoria."

Kyle looked at him with hard eyes, "What does she plan on doing there?"

Dane tilted is head back, resting the back of his head against the top of the seat.

"I've heard her, when she's sleeping, muttering."

Everyone waited as Dane closed his eyes and he seemed fearful as to what he was about to say next.

"She…She's planning on slaughtering over 500 people."

While everyone made their gasps and bewildered cried, Michael tried his best to sit himself up, but only managed to put his elbows below him and painfully elevate himself a few inches. He then weakly fell back down.

_I need to get myself back together, if I'm ever hoping to getting back at that bitch…_

* * *

Max knew for an instant that they were no longer in the US as he heard foreign dialects as soon as the crate, both he and Andrew were in was taken off the plane by some workers.

When they had stopped in the van they were once in, both him and Andrew were injected with something causing them to be brought back into slumber.

Max found the air that blew into the crevasses of the crate to be cold, really cold.

Thinking back to his science classes, this would suggest that they were probably in Eastern Europe.

Max found himself still bound in a way so he wouldn't be able to use his powers. He could see, though. He looked around and saw the crate to be large enough that it held not only Andrew and himself, but also numerous bags of rice.

Andrew was a few feet away from Max, and his look was with fear.

"Andrew?" Max called.

Andrew's eyes looked at him; "I wanna go home."

Max nodded, "I know it looks bad but you have to be brave."

Andrew closed his eyes as tears came down them.

"Where's mom and dad?"

* * *

After spending the entire day looking through paper work concerning if anyone looking like either Max Evans or Andrew Pressman had been on an onboard flight, Agent Kern could only make one assumption. They have already been transported across sea.

Conversing with Liz and Isabel, the three decided to go and across seas, as well.

Liz was more frightened than ever. Max was gone from her and this time, farther than usual.

Isabel felt the same, not only from Max but for Andrew as well.

As the three boarded a plane, Liz took one last look, hoping that their departure would not be something to regret.

_**To be continued…**_

_**RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

**A/N:** First off, let me apologize for being so repetitious is saying that I've been having writer's block and to apologize for the tardiness to this first of a three-part story arc; but hey, it's true. Sorry. I also am sorry for how hurried this one is and how a lot of it's content is short, but bare with me, it will get better from here on in.

**A/N II:** Again, this is part one of a three-part story arc. There's a lot going on: One group attempting to stop Ko'dairk, Jim's power coming alive, and the rescue of Max and Andrew. Trust me, you're gonna love it.

_**Q-n-P**_


	18. Russian RoulettePart Two

Finding the Job Corps center was easy, getting in wasn't.

Sitting outside the puny gate outside Tongue Point Job Corps, Maria watched as Kyle and Ava tried to make their way in as visitors.

They were rejected based on the fact that they neither knew nor had any connections to any of the students on the center.

Michael watched from the window on the bus.

So far, he was able to move enough so that he could sit up straight, but was no where near being able to stand.

Michael hated this to the extreme.

Powerless and helplessly watching others make desperate attempts.

Michael knew he had to be patient, though. Ko'dairk used him and Michael was going to get back.

**Chapter Eighteen: Russian Roulette…Part Two.**

Kyle was frustrated that his attempts to get them inside to the center were proving useless.

The guard inside the booth, named Simon, who had a very thick English accent, denied anything that had came out of Kyle's mouth.

"C'mon, man. I'm telling ya that we're students here. Why would I lie to such a great guy, such as yourself."

Simon smiled, "You've got quite the tongue on ya. Sorry, lad, but I can't. You don't have an ID so I know you're not a student here. Please leave."

Kyle threw up his arms, out of bewildered anguish, and went back to the side of the bus where Maria, Ava, Laurie, and Dane were.

"No luck, huh?" Ava asked.

Kyle groaned, "Man, this place is impossible. That guy said we needed Job Corps ID's to gain entrance."

Maria watched as Simon left the little shack to go the building to the right of it and a plumpish woman took his place.

"Hey guys, look." Laurie pointed out from behind them as a group of kids were walking up the road behind them coming up.

Ava and Kyle proceeded to them and talked to them as Maria went back onto the bus and Laurie and Dane waited for Kyle and Ava.

Back on the bus, Maria went over and sat down next to Michael.

"I see you're getting your strength back." She said kissing him on the forehead.

Michael nodded. He was still extremely pale but his sweating had stopped along with his shallow breathing.

Michael nodded to outside, "What's going on?"

Maria sighed, "The guards here won't allow us to come in if we're not students of the Center. Kyle and Ava are getting a look at some of the IDs so we can make copies for all of us."

Michael smirked, "Make sure they get my picture right, I don't want to look like a nobody."

Maria shook her head, "Guess again, 'Spaceboy'. I want you here on the bus when we all go in."

Michael scowled at her, "Excuse me? Maria, I'm going in with the rest of you."

Maria sighed, "Michael, you can barely lift your arm, let alone stand. Not to mention you are no longer a member of the alien/human collection."

Michael then attempted to lift his arm, but only managed to raise it a few inches.

"See." Maria said.

Michael let his arm fall down and he sighed, "I guess you're right."

Maria knew this was killing him inside.

"You're not weak. I want you to know that; don't tell yourself otherwise. You did a brave thing doing what you did, Michael Guerin."

* * *

Sitting outside a café in St. Petersburg, Russia, Liz and Isabel, garbed in heavy clothing, looked out at their new strange surroundings with interest.

Both were unsure as to what they could accomplish by making this journey with the shady FBI Agent.

Liz turned to Isabel, "So, what do you think?"

Isabel laughed as she shuddered from the weather. "I can't wait until we leave this place."

Liz returned the laugh with another; "No, not that. I mean of us being here, working with…her."

Isabel shrugged, "I'm not sure. I still don't trust her. What about you?"

Liz shook her head, "No, I don't. But, I agree with her that we need to get Max and Andrew back. When we do get them back, I guess then we'll see what happens."

Isabel nodded while she continued to shudder.

The waited awhile more until Agent Kern had finally returned from questioning a few people.

"Well, I think I found out where they were headed."

Liz looked at her in surprise, "How did you manage to do that?"

"Hey, give me a little credit. The FBI has us learn all sorts of foreign languages. Anyway, the Harbormaster told me that a large crate that had a lot of air holes was being hauled away by some men following a guy named Gormas Grobovitch. Grobovitch is one of the many on the Homeland Securities' most wanted lists. He works for a Russian Mob called "The White Wolf."

Liz and Isabel exchanged looks with each other.

" "The White Wolf"?" Isabel asked, incredulously.

Agent Kern nodded, "Mostly they are gun suppliers. In the past they had various ties to the KGB."

"What would they want with Max and Andrew?" Liz asked.

Agent Kern looked at her in surprise, "Miss Parker-Evans, didn't you hear what I told you earlier? These guys created the Special Unit. They know, or at least they think they do, what Max and I guess what Andrew is as well."

"What do you think they plan to do with them?" Asked Isabel.

Agent Kern sighed, "I don't know."

No one spoke for a few minutes until Liz did.

"So, where do we go from here?"

* * *

At the moment it wasn't clear to either of them as to what could be the purpose for their being there.

Max and Andrew looked at their new environment with awe and suspicion.

They were finally out of their usual confined space and brought out into a large, open-spaced, area. The air still was bitterly cold and the conversations around them foreign.

The room they were in was small yet spacious. The only, inanimate, things within the room was a small desk with an oil lamp and a three chairs.

The other occupants in the room were those garbed in some sort of military fashion.

None of these people seemed to take notice of either of them.

This, on another occasion would have seemed to be an ideal opportunity for Max. Yet, the guns that were visibly holstered suggested otherwise.

The time seemed to slowly dwindle as Max and Andrew stood there, tied behind the back, and both moistening their chapped lips.

Max couldn't think of how long it had been since he had something to drink. He was sure it was the same for Andrew.

The room went quiet as the door farthest from them opened and a man stepped in.

The other men in the room stepped to the side to allow the man passage to Max and Andrew.

While Andrew seemed to shake uncontrollably, Max stood his ground as the man looked over them and turned to another person.

Saying something to this other, the other man then turned to Max.

"Mr. Evans. General Mikhail Vasloo, bids both you and your son welcome."

While the General's look suggested nothing of the remark, Max listened as the other man continued.

"My name is Gormas Grobovitch. We assure you, you have nothing to fear from us."

Max smiled and spoke for the first time, "If that's true, let Andrew go and I'll be helpful in whatever you need me to be."

Gormas laughed, "I'm sorry, Mr. Evans. We can't allow that. Young Andrew has a part in which he needs to play. Both of you do, actually."

* * *

Michael watched as the others, except Dane and Laurie, went inside the gates of the Job Corps center.

He wished he knew what exactly they planned to do once they had found Ko'dairk, but being as weak as we was left him in frustration.

Dane and Laurie wouldn't give him much as they seemed to be in the dark as well.

Maria, before she left with Kyle and Ava, said little.

Michael managed to be able to get to his feet, yet he still wasn't able to move but only a few feet before he needed to quickly grab hold of something to prevent himself from falling.

Dane and Laurie helped out as much as they could, and in two hours, Michael was able to walk around without feeling fatigued or wobbly.

He wasn't going to let this stop him. Something inside him felt that something bad was going to happen, and the fact that Maria and the others were going straight into it, wasn't good at all.

The fact Maria had went along with Kyle and Ava was particularly worrisome to Michael.

Michael really wished he objected more strongly to her going. After all, what was it that she was hoping to accomplish? She was powerless, just as he was in the literal sense.

Michael was feeling his strength return to him, little by little and he decided he needed to go after them.

Surprisingly, Dane and Laurie were of the same opinion.

"Ko'dairk is nuts, and them going alone isn't good." Dane remarked as he helped Michael off the bus.

Laurie nodded, "What is one of them gets hurt in the process? This doesn't feel right with them going in and having us stick around here waiting for them to get back."

Michael smiled. Having been argued and contradicted with in the past by so many others, it felt pretty good to have these guys agree with him on this.

Upon exiting the bus, the air outside felt particularly cold, and the air was condensed with ash.

"Is someone burning something?" Laurie asked as she nimbly grabbed one of the ashen flakes that were floating in the air.

Dane looked around. "Where are those guards? Where's everyone else, for that matter?"

Michael noticed it too. The guards that were once there and the students waiting inline to get entrance back to the center, were gone.

* * *

Having spent over two hours trying to talk to some Russian Intelligence agents, Agent Kern, along with Isabel and Liz, managed to find out where the last known whereabouts of the "White Wolf" were.

Isabel's thoughts were continually on Jesse and wondering, at all of he was able to get the messages she had left for him when She and Liz had left America.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Agent Kern turned to the both of them and smiled.

"I think this might be promising." She said. "Max and Andrew were both seen with them on a jeep headed farther east."

Isabel looked at her with confusion, "How's this "promising"? Do we know where east from here they'll be heading?"

Agent Kern nodded, "One of the White Wolf's bases of operations is in a remote settlement of the Tunguska region in Siberia."

Liz sighed, "At least we know they're still alive and well."

Agent Kern nodded.

"Does the Russian Intelligence community know what the White Wolf want Max and Andrew for?" asked Isabel.

Agent Kern shook her head, "They don't. They're in the dark as much as we are."

"So, how do we get there?" Asked Liz.

Agent Kern pointed to a man smoking near a tavern. "I'm told that that man over there is a pilot and he's taking supplies to a remote scientific base near to the settlement of the White Wolf's. Once there, we'll be meeting up with one of the Russian's Intelligence officers who's staking out their base."

* * *

During their trip over, Max continually looked to Andrew to see if he was doing any better than before.

To his relief, he was. He was no longer having fits of panic and was being more observant of his surrounding. Andrew was also making sure that he was always in close proximity of Max and that the two were never out of eyesight.

As of being told to where they were going and for what purpose once they were there, both of them had been given no answer.

The trip was long and they had made camp several times, with an overly observant guard stationed outside their tent.

During these times of rest, Max tried to make it of a better experience by telling Andrew of the adventures similar to this to Andrew.

Andrew was eager to hear them and it seemed to make him more relaxed and less weary of having been taken away from his home.

Although, despite the fact they were together more, Max felt that Andrew still regarded him as a friend or a brother, rather than what was real.

Max was okay by it. Just having Andrew see him more as a relation than that of a complete stranger was good enough. Maybe, in all, this was better.

Three days ago they left Russia and now they were in a much colder and desolate place, well beyond the populated areas.

Cold wind and snow blanked them with much ferocity as they came into a heavily guarded area where the "base" looked to be that of an interment camp.

When they stopped, a man came outside holding a rifle and he opened the door to Max and Andrew's side and motioned the two of them out with it.

They were led inside the encampment, where various, chained, onlookers whispered upon seeing them.

Being brought in further, they were stopped in front of a door.

Both Max and Andrew desperately tried to see more of their surroundings. Unfortunately, both were shielding their eyes against the cold wind and snow that were pelting them mercilessly.

Once the guard had the door opened, they were ushered in.

To their relief, it was warm inside and there was florescent lighting that showed the room in its entirety.

From here they were led down a long corridor and then down a long spiraling staircase.

At the bottom were a large number of men holding weapons and whose faces remarked that of mannequins.

The man leading them took the to a room to the far left and held it open.

Once they were inside, Max had stopped in his tracks.

Andrew stopped as well, looking up at Max and then looked towards them.

Sitting in the middle of the room was a large, black, ship.

* * *

Gaining entrance to the center seemed to be easier as it was now unguarded.

To their surprise, they had found the entire place empty.

"Maybe they're all inside?" Laurie suggested.

Michael may have agreed with her a long time ago, but with his past experience, he wouldn't.

Michael was able to walk by himself now, and was followed closely by Dane, just in case there was a relapse and Michael would need his assistance.

As they ventured further on the air became more condensed and as they reached the bottom, the three quickly held their hands to their faces.

Their was a strange pungent odor that was making them gag.

It was then that Dane called out quickly.

Michael looked to where he was pointing and the three of them spotted Kyle lying on the ground, slumped up against a wall, hs mouth opened, his eyes wide, and a large wound coming from his forehead.

Going to him, to their relief, he had a pulse.

From the looks of him he was screaming at the time.

Laurie looked to where Kyle's stare was and saw a large hole in a small building across the street.

Dane stayed with Kyle while Michael and Laurie made their way to the hole.

Inside, were parcels and letters.

To Michael's guess, was that this was a mailing station on the center for the students.

Looking around, they soon found Ava.

Her eyes were closed and she too had a wound. She was lying on her back on the counter.

"Go." Laurie said to Michael, "I'll bring her over to Kyle and Dane."

Michael nodded and left. Fear was gripping his heart, seeing the sites of both Kyle and Ava.

"Maria." Michael whispered into the gray veiled area, "Where are you?"

Michael looked in all directions, pulling up his shirt to his cover his nose and mouth, to obscure the stench that was in the air.

He then heard something, something that sounded like a scream.

Using his tired, unused muscles, Michael ran with all his might to the source of the sound and found himself stopping as he saw a young woman, with silvery hair, pulling up into the air a girl of a younger age, without even touching her.

The young girl screamed even louder as her hair seemed to fall to the ground by some unknown thing. Michael ran even harder to get closer.

It was clear who this young woman was.

The young girl's screaming was at an end as she was pulled apart. Her organs falling aimlessly to the ground as well as her blood, which made a sickening splash.

Michael had stopped and watched with horror as the two halves unto which the girl used to be, were melded and were reconfigured into something horrible, yet indefinable.

The young woman made a smile and lowered the thing to the ground, which seemed to stir and then get up onto what ever limbs it possessed.

"Go now, my sweet. Gather wood." She said to this thing.

The thing shrieked in response and then trotted away.

Michael shook the image from his mind and then shouted, "Ko'dairk!"

The young woman turned to him, her eyes half closed.

She smiled and then lifted Michael up from where he was standing and brought him at an incredible speed to be inches from her face.

Michael starred at the face, which was beautiful and he grimaced as her hand grabbed his throat.

"Ah, you're finally here."

_**To be continued…**_

**A/N:** I can't tell you all how sorry I am for having put this off for as long as I did. I'm hoping you're all still interested in this story.

_**Q-n-P**_


	19. Russian RoulettePart Three

**A/N**: Just so you all now, I wasn't trying to copy _Silent Hill_ for the Job Corps part, as you read this chapter you'll see the obvious difference.

_**Q-n-P**_

* * *

As Maria lay hidden inside the Carpentry shop at the Job Corp Center, she cursed herself for not having thought this through.

Never having anticipated what Ko'dairk might do, if she were to discover them, not to what Ko'dairk was doing here.

Maria trembled as she remembered what the three of them saw and then what Ko'dairk was doing with the organ-less bodies.

After Kyle and Ava had been hit, Maria had decided to hide and wait before she would return to them.

Cursing herself a little for her cowardice, she then became worried for Michael and the others.

If any of them decided to venture forth and try to tract her down, who knows what fate would befall them.

Michael…

Maria walked around the empty Carpentry shop and looked for whatever she could use to defend herself.

To her disappointment, a lot of which that had a blade required to be plugged in.

Going to the front of the shop, she found a room containing nails, screws, and washers. It was here, to her delight, she found the portables.

She found a portable nail gun as well, but she knew that the nails would only be good if she were close enough, only.

She sighed; it was still good to have. She picked it up and also a portable skillsaw and decided to leave.

**Chapter Nineteen: Russian Roulette: Part Three**

Max's focus was still on the craft, even though a man was asking him a question.

Andrew nudged him and Max finally turned.

"I'm sorry?"

The man sighed and then began again; "You do know why you are here, Mr. Evans?"

Max shook his head.

It was then that a man in a large white lab coat came from behind the rows of armed men and strolled forward and shook Max's hand.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Maxwell! I am Doctor Gerard Therdeianar. Welcome, welcome!" This man was full of energy and seemed a little too ecstatic about meeting Max, in Max's opinion.

The doctor looked to the spacecraft and then back to Max and Andrew. "Aw, I see you've seen our little toy! Quite marvelous, isn't it?"

Max nodded, "Quite, indeed."

One of the guards escorting the General brought him forward.

"Мы надеялись, сын, что Вы будете в состоянии сказать нам, как проникнуть внутрь этой вещи." Said the, still, stern Vosloo.

Dr. Therdeianar translated, "The General is asking if you could please show us how we can gain entrance to this marvelous craft."

So this was it, this was why both Max and Andrew were taken. Or was it? "And if I am unable?" Max asked, cautiously.

A second guard appeared and pulled Andrew away and held the barrel of his gun against Andrew's temple. Max swallowed and looked back to the craft. Could he really do it? Max then remembered about the crystal he used before that allowed him entrance to the one he had found in Utah.

"Ah, you guys wouldn't happen to have some sort of crystal that would help, would you? I doubt that it would allow me entrance just by me going near it."

The doctor smiled and snapped his fingers. Two men carrying two brief-metallic cases in hand opened them to reveal numerous crystals. The only thing he could do for the time being was gasp.

* * *

"W-Why!" Michael said as Ko'dairk's grasp tightened against his throat.

Ko'dairk smiled, "Well, well, the half-breed wishes to know."

She loosened her grip a little, allowing the airway to clear and for Michael to speak a little better.

"Again with the 'Half-breed'? You took my Antarian half, didn't you?"

Ko'dairk shook her head, "No, I didn't. I wasn't able to. My teachings were a little off considering that your species hadn't evolved at that time. I've only managed to secure a portion of it, while the rest of it, within you, lays dormant and guarded."

Michael starred at her in wonder, "I…I still have my powers?"

Ko'dairk grinned, "For now, anyways. But it won't do you any good, Michael. I will have all of you. After the ceremony."

Michael's eyes went wide. Seeing before what this woman was capable of, he didn't exactly like the sounding of the word "Ceremony".

Meanwhile, both Ava and Kyle had managed to come back to reality and Dane was able to find Kyle's eye-patch.

"Welcome back." Dane grinned as he handed Kyle his eye-patch back.

Kyle snatched it back. "What the hell are you two doing here! You need to get Michael and get out, now!"

Ava nodded, "You guys have no idea on what that woman is doing here."

Laurie looked on and saw the ashen area was being blown clear by the wind and when the area was visible, she held her hand to her mouth in horror as she saw unthinkable. Lying on the ground in various areas, were piles upon piles of crimson colored things that brought the smell of the area to a full effect.

"What on Earth…" Dane remarked as he held his hand to his mouth.

Kyle nodded, "Those were the students. Ava, Maria, and I watched helplessly as she was ripping apart these kids and using their bodies for some weird transformation. She turned them into some kind of monster-servants."

Laurie looked around, "Where is Maria, exactly?"

Ava too looked and then turned to Kyle, "You don't think…?"

Kyle sighed, "I hope not. While we look, you two need to get back to the bus and watch after Michael."

Dane scratched the back of his head, "Well, here's the thing…"

* * *

The airplane sputtered against the wind as they made their way to the encampment. While Liz was looking out the window with wonder and interest, Isabel was trying her best not to throw up. She had never been the best flyer, especially when it came to turbulence. They had arrived shortly and had made contact with the Russian Intelligence officer who drove them by jeep to the bunker he had made out of an old cold war station. It reminded Isabel a little of the bunker Laurie had in Arizona. This one, however, had a gun turret underneath a three by five-foot hole that was on the side of the bunker. The man they had met was an Andre Hemmes. He had greeted everyone but seemed a little put off that he had to take them here. He was, however, more than happy to relay the information he's learned about the place to the three of them.

"So far, your friends have been in there for a little over four hours."

"Is the place heavily guarded?" Asked Agent Kern.

"Da and there are men along the walls and station towers." Andre answered.

Liz looked out the window and sighed. She really had hoped this would be as simple as just she and Isabel going in and storming the place, but that wasn't the case this time.

Isabel seemed to notice her agitation as she squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, Liz. We'll get them out of there."

* * *

Max didn't know what was irritating him more, the fact that everyone was so damn persistent around him or the fact that the French doctor wouldn't top with his questions about Max's past.

"So, there were two ships in 1947, yes? Interesting. What happened to the other three?"

Max sighed, "They're dead." He knew he was lying but he had promised Seth that they were going to leave him alone from now on.

Dr. Therdeianar was all about excitement, but he did know his place with the stern General about. Both the Dr. and Max were testing each of the crystals to see which one would allow him entrance to the spacecraft. Max found an incredible irony to this all. Having spent, which felt like a lifetime ago, trying to find on of these crystals to allow him entrance to a similar spaceship, so that he could reach Antar and see his son Zan along with Tess; now, he was doing the same thing for a much different purpose. Andrew was calmer than ever, Max could see. Max was allowed only a few breaks in between the search for the right crystal, other than that he was given little leeway. The times he was given, he spent them with Andrew to tell him more and more about his heritage. To that, was little hard to spell out. Andrew, in the meantime, wasn't completely convinced by what Max was telling him. Max sighed, there was a time, a long time ago, and to where he felt telling Liz about his origins was difficult enough. But, telling his own, biological, son this; proved to be an even greater challenge. Looking at the men surrounding him: the ever curious French Doctor, the un-smiling General, the various armed men who never had anything on their mind besides their own duty, and Andrew; Max was uncertain as to where this wall headed and for what purpose. What if he did find the right crystal that allowed them entrance to the ship, what then?

* * *

"Hey look! There's Maria!" Shouted Dane.

The four came hurriedly over to her and she looked overwhelmed to see all of them alive.

"Thank God." She said as she dropped the tools and hugged both Kyle and Ava. It was only when she parted with the two that she took notice of Dane and Laurie. "What are you guys doing here? What is Ko'dairk gets hold of Michael!"

Laurie shifted uncomfortably, "Uh, Maria…"

Maria's blood froze as she saw the looks between her and Dane.

Kyle sighed, "Maria, Michael's here, on the Center. Apparently he got his strength back and came in search for you."

Maria, wasting no time, grabbed up the portable tools and handed one to Dane.

"Do you know which way he was headed?" Maria asked Dane and Laurie.

Laurie pointed in a direction that was past the mailroom where she and Michael found Ava. "He went that way."

Maria nodded and along with the others they began their walking. Other than then the over-powering stench that came from the heat of the sun coming down on the rotting organs of the students that went here, nothing else seemed to show itself. As the group made their way to the north of the center, it was then that Laurie made a yelp and Kyle had to shush her. A creature of unimaginable form, grotesque being the key word about it, was scurrying about in circles.

"What the hell is that thing?" Dane asked.

Ava sighed, "It's one of the students."

Dane and Laurie looked absolutely mortified by the appearance of it.

"Do you think it sees us?" Maria asked.

Kyle walked about four feet ahead of the others, closing the distance between him and the creature. The creature, itself, seemed to stop it's lap and slowly raied it's head towards the sky. It then laid out a shriek and ran farther away from them to a train tunnel.

Kyle turned to the others, "Should we follow it?"

Meanwhile, blanketed in darkness, Michael Guerin had no idea as where he was or what would befall him next. Suddenly, the darkness dissipated being replaced by a violet light. Looking around him, he noticed that those horrific creatures surrounded him. There had be at least more than three hundred of these things. The shrieking these things deafened his ears. Their shrieking quieted as Ko'dairk came between them and looked down on Michael. Michael then realized he was lying on his back. Moving his head up, he glanced to the sides of him to see he was lying on some wood that was shaped into that of a pinwheel.

"What the hell is this for?" He asked.

Ko'dairk smiled, "For the ceremony, of course. You and I are going to be united as a whole, and then my spirit shall consume yours and I'll be able to have everything you possess."

"Well, you better like Snapple, otherwise you're in for quite a surprise." Michael smirked.

Ko'dairk seemed to not have heard him as she was laying herself down next to him. As she laid her head close to his, she clapped her hands. "Leave us, go, feast on the others!"

Her minions shrieked in delight and vacated the area, leaving only Michael and Ko'dairk, alone.

* * *

As the night wore on, Liz would never take her sleepy eyes off of the stronghold across from them where Max and Andrew lay captured. Whatever was going on in there involving the two of them, was something Liz wishes she could find out.

Sleep overcoming her, Liz laid her head down on the blanket and let dreams turn her away from reality.

These dreams, however, were nothing of what she had anticipated.

She dreamed that Max and Andrew were in a large room surrounded by armed men. One man, who seemed to be an eccentric French scientist, seemed to be trying to defend and protect Max and Andrew from the men that surrounded them.

But to no avail, as the two of the armed men opened fire on the scientist, sending him to the ground.

The events that followed seemed to happen rapidly in Liz's head: Max bringing up his green-shield, a grenade being thrown, Max grabbing Andrew and storming out of the confined area. Once outside, the two being sot at endlessly, Max trying his hardest to hang on Andrew, while having his shield up at the same time; and then, in the end, Max tripping. The shield giving way and both he and Andrew being shot without pause.

Something from the area unto which they were killed in, caused Liz to awaken from her sleep and she abruptly raised her head and peered out of the bunker's hole.

It was then she realized, that it wasn't a dream.

She was now looking at the courtyard where Max and Andrew had been killed.

* * *

The General was getting impatient, that was for certain.

Dr. Therdeianar was telling Max as such.

"Well, until we can get the right crystal, he's going to have to wait." Max said, irritably.

The doctor sighed, "Mon Duei, Max, he's not the patient type. Ever since these gentlemen, had discovered this craft in the late nineteen-forties, they've become absolutely, madly, obsessed with it. So much in fact, that they put their own men all over the globe to be in search of the things that piloted them."

Max's mind suddenly clicked on, "You mean the Special Unit, in America, right?"

Dr. Therdeianar nodded, "Oui, that's one of them."

Max looked over to Andrew, and was now becoming worried by the situation.

* * *

As the four approached the train tunnel, they once again heard the shrieking.

"Uh, oh." Dane said.

They watched as a swarm of these creatures came out of the tunnel like a heard of cattle.

Kyle and Ava stood in front of the others and held out their hands.

Just as the swarm was getting closer to them, Kyle sent out a force that knocked several of the things, clear into the air.

Ava did as well, while both Maria and Dane managed to either cut, slice, or nail-away; any others that came close to them.

Laurie had found a two by four lying on the ground and used it to her advantage, knocking away any that came close to her as the four formed a circle.

Inside the train tunnel, Michael could hear the commotion from outside and cursed himself for being so damn stupid as to let himself be caught.

Ko'dairk listened as well and smiled. "Relax, General, it'll soon be all over. You and I will be one, they will be dead, and this pathetic planet will be ours for the taking.

_**To be continued…**_

**A/N**: The last of the Russian Roulette is next! Stay tuned!

**_Q-n-P_**


	20. The beginning of the End

As far as Maria could tell, this was taking longer than it should have.

The endless assault by these creatures was preventing the four of them to go after what was most imperative, Michael.

It was becoming increasingly dangerous as the fight wore on.

Dane was quickly running out of nails and the power for the portable skillsaw was draining fast.

Despite having Kyle and Ava with them, the only two who were able to use powers, the fight was not turning out so good.

Especially when one of the things slashed out and managed to catch Laurie on the leg, bringing her down to the ground.

"Laurie!" Kyle shouted, but unfortunately being preoccupied with the beast that he was handling, had him unable to come to her rescue.

Luckily, Dane managed to use the remaining three nails that he had, to thwart away those that tried to bring her away from the group.

Once having her in inside, Dane used the nailgun for the only other thing it might be useful for, clubbing.

As the fight dragged on, Ava noticed a bright light coming from the train tunnel and a loud voice crying out from pain.

The others noticed it as well.

"Michael…" Maria said.

This seemed to bring up their spirits and they began to double their efforts.

**Chapter Twenty: Russian Roulette Part Four: The Beginning of the End**

Liz told the others of her "premonition" which only to Isabel was met with seriousness.

"You can't be seriously telling me that this is what's really going to happen?" Asked Andre, incredulously.

Isabel folded her arms, "Why not? Was there anything which what she said that sounded implausible?"

Andre huffed and walked to the far corner of the bunker and then returned looking at Liz with curiosity.

"How is it that you know about Dr. Therdeianar?"

Liz shrugged, "I don't. I just know that in my "vision" I saw him being gunned down trying to protect Max and Andrew."

Agent Kern turned to Andre. "Who is this Dr. Therdeianar?"

Andre sat down, "He's a leading French scientist on solar radiation and is a theorist on life in outerspace, other than that there's not much I can really tell you. The White Wolf contacted him about a month ago and he came over here in due haste."

Both Liz and Isabel exchanged looks when they heard "theorist in life in outerspace".

Agent Kern sighed, "I think I realize what their interest is in Max and Andrew now. But why kill them, Liz?"

Liz thought long and hard about the "vision" that she had and the contents within it. Thinking long and hard; she finally found what she was looking for.

"There's a strange black, large, object in the room along with everyone else. The General seems to be pointing at it and yelling at Max at the same time."

Andre's eyes grew wide; "General Vosloo is there!"

Liz shrugged.

Andre seemed to be overwhelmed by this news. He looked outside and then to his gun turret.

"Do you know _when _this is supposed to happen?"

Liz sighed, "I don't. It could be now, it could be tomorrow, it could be next week for all I know."

* * *

Max was having just about enough of this. His patience was wearing thin.

With the over-ambitious French scientist looking over his shoulder to the constant grunts being made by the General, and the now pleading looks he was being given by Andrew; Max was feeling he had just about enough of this.

When the last crystal failed and they went through the entire case, the General made a nod to a man who brought over yet another case filled with crystals.

This made it the forty-seventh case brought to them.

"That's it!" Max shouted.

Everyone turned to look at him with questioning looks.

Dr. Therdeianar came over to him and whispered, "_What are you doing? You're going to get us shot if you act like this._"

"I don't care, anymore. I'm not going to do this, not when I'm not knowing for what purpose."

Dr. Therdeianar nodded and relayed the message to the General who turned red and pointed at the spacecraft and Max shouting, "Слушайте, мальчик! Вы откроете это хитрое изобретение, или ваш сын умрет прежде, чем Вы!" (Listen, boy! You will open this contraption, or your son will die, before you!)

Dr. Therdeianar sighed, "He says if you do not open this up, Andrew will die."

Max's fists clenched and he gritted his teeth.

Max then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he reopened them he stated, "Never."

* * *

Michael could feel as if every pore in his body was screaming in pain.

Sweat completely blanketed his face, his lungs burned with intensity, and his teeth chattered without pausing.

Through all this he tried to have his mind stabilized and tried to focus on the things that meant everything to him: Maria, his kids, Max, Isabel, Laurie, Liz and the others. Larek…

Larek?

A sudden image of Larek was in Michael's thoughts and the image seemed to be speaking with him.

"_Hello, General Rath. Oh, Michael, sorry."_

Michael tried desperately to answer this image, but the overwhelming pain was somehow preventing him form doing so.

"_I know you're in a dire time, Michael. Fear not, for I will assist you in any way I can. Ko'dairk is definitely a force to reckon with, but like all creatures she too has a weakness, overconfidence. If you'll let me General,_ _I will transfer my thoughts into your body and then we'll be able to over power her._"

Michael tried his best to make a subconscience reply of consent, but again the pain seemed to get the better of him.

"Try not to struggle, half-breed General. It'll be all over soon enough." Ko'dairk said.

Ko'dairk smiled as she felt the swirling of energy engulfing her entire being and then…nothing.

"What?" She said aloud and opened her eyes.

The area had returned to its regular darkness.

Turning back to Michael, she noticed that his eyes were closed and there was no apparent breathing being made.

Going over everything that had to be done so that the ceremony would succeed, Ko'dairk couldn't find a single thing she may have overlooked.

Meanwhile, outside, to the amazement of the others, not to mention to their utter relief; the creatures they had been fighting suddenly turned and fled back to the train tunnel.

"I don't know whether to be happy or worried." Remarked Kyle.

"Why did they stop?" Asked Laurie as Dane helped her up.

Ava shrugged, "I don't know but can you hear anything?"

No one answered.

Maria felt a string of panic rushing through her. "Michael!"

* * *

Ko'dairk approached Michael's body with caution.

Nothing in her mind made sense as to how this half-breed could have been able to stop the ceremony.

The ceremony was binding and once started it couldn't be stopped.

She noticed that her minions had sensed her agitation and worry and had came back.

Walking over to Michael she felt her stepping to be harder than before, more energy needed to be made to make the simplest of moves.

She stopped and then she noticed her hands.

The skin returning, slowly, to the dry, weathered aged form.

"N-No…This…This cannot be…" She said, and quickly began to panic.

Her creatures looked at her in curiosity. Seeing their master acting in hysteria was a sight.

It was then that a thought came to her and Ko'dairk quickly reached inside her shirt and took out the stones and the vial.

The vial was empty. The stones were fading at an alarming rate.

Her previous age kicking in, Ko'dairk felt her knees give way and she fell to the ground, her knees scraping in the process.

Her creatures gathered around her in heightened curiosity. Each one moving closer.

"Stay back, you insipid fools!" Ko'dairk's graveled voice had returned as well.

The thing's looked at her with amusement and one actually ventured forward and knocked her to the ground with it's head.

Feeling the pain, Ko'dairk snarled, "Get off me!" She then put her hand out in front of her but nothing happened.

Seeing so much activity out of her, brought out a lot of excitement of the creatures and they began taking turns of ramming her.

After a few moments of this, two picked up her unconscience form and tossed her back and forth to eachother.

Running farther into the tunnel, the creatures tossed back and forth the, now motionless, form of Ko'dairk.

* * *

Max watched a soldier aimed for Andrew. Moving quickly, Max put up a green-barrier around Andrew, deflecting the bullet just in time.

This move was met by wide eyes, gaping mouths, and everyone staring at Max.

"Mon Dieu…" Replied the aghast Dr. Therdeianar.

The General, however, shook his head and barked some orders.

The men then turned their weapons on Max.

Max then directed his green Barrier on himself, as well.

After every clip and magazine had been emptied, the General scowled and yelled out something else.

Dr. Therdeianar, then, ran over and put himself in front of Max.

There seemed to be a staring match between him and the General.

"Non!" Dr. Therdeianar said firmly.

The General closed his eyes and walked away and then waived a hand.

Two men stepped forward and fired on the doctor.

Max watched in horror as the doctor was brought down to his knees and then collapsed on the floor.

The General then turned and looked at Max with absolute calm on his face.

Max knew that they needed to get out of here, and quick. Already he could feel his power on their barriers dwindling and once they were gone, they were good as dead.

Max then noticed that each soldier had on him a hand grenade.

Max looked to Andrew who looked absolutely terrified, most likely from having seen the doctor being killed right in front of him.

Max took a deep breath and then let go of the barriers as in the same quick motion, pulled the pins on every grenade that was in the room.

* * *

Sitting in the bunker, across from the settlement, Liz, along with the others turned to look out the hole as they heard a massive explosion from the stronghold.

"What the hell?" Exclaimed Andre.

Agent Kern took ahold a pair of binoculars and looked out the window as she saw the building go up in flame.

She then searched around the area as she saw numerous soldiers yelling and running in different directions.

She then spotted Max and Andrew.

Remembering what Liz had said, and knowing the full likelihood of what the situation brought, she turned to Andre.

"Better get on that Turret, they're coming out right now!"

Andre obeyed and got into place with the weapon and looked through the scope as Agent Kern gave him the coordinates on where both Max and Andrew were.

Andre, being an expert marksman, fired away at those who posed a threat to Max and Andrew's escape.

Both Liz and Isabel looked out the hole, clutching eachother's hand as Andre sent bullet after bullet into the void.

* * *

Max, tugging along Andrew, felt that this might have been worse than what he had anticipated.

While every soldier seemed to think that the base was under attack by some unseen force, the ones more aware of Max and Andrew and were pointing their weapons at them.

To their luck, these men were falling down to the ground.

Up ahead, Max could see the gate that they had came in from.

Dodging the people who would fall and those who were fleeing out of panic, Max and Andrew made their way to the gate.

* * *

Agent Kern saw the two heading to the gate and then looked to the top of it to see four men with their rifles pointing and aiming at the escapers.

"Andre! Above the gate!" She shouted.

Andre, squinting into the scope, fired four rounds and then waited a moment before giving thumbs up.

Agent Kern sighed for the moment as she searched some more and gave more directions to Andre.

* * *

Watching four men fall right in front of them, Max picked up Andrew into his arms and jumped right over the bodies of them men.

Going to the door next to the gate, Max held out his hand and forced the door to be thrown off of it's hinges to the outside.

Diving through the door, Max picked up his speed as he ran, with Andrew in tow, out and alongside the snow-laden path.

Upon going a few feet, he saw to the left of the road he was running on a guy waiving to him followed by three others.

He also heard firing behind him.

Andre, along with Agent Kern, took out their weapons and fired back at the men behind Max and Andrew.

Liz and Isabel made a quick move and ran towards Max and Andrew.

Max's shocked face was soon replaced to confident as he ran past Isabel and Liz as the two woman held out their hands and sent the men chasing after them flying several feet farther from them.

Andre and Agent Kern grabbed Max and Andrew and brought them back to the bunker while Isabel and Liz made their retreat as well.

* * *

Upon entering the train tunnel, Kyle and Ava made the lead, their hands extended out in front of them.

As the light was diminishing the further they went, Kyle rubbed his fingers to his palm, causing his hand to burn insanely hot, thus giving them light.

Ava smiled, "You're just full of neat tricks, aren't ya?"

Kyle grinned, "Not now."

As they went on ahead, the soon found the pinwheel and Michael laying on it.

Maria quickly went ahead of everyone else and to Michael's side, shaking him vigorously.

"Michael? Michael!"

Michael's eyes scrunched together and he got up, moaning.

Maria cried out in joy and hugged him.

Michael pushed her away, "Easy…I just got the crap sucked out of me. Give me a moment."

Dane looked around, "What happened? Where's Ko'dairk?"

Michael shrugged, "Dead, I think."

"How did you…?" Kyle began.

Michael shook his head, "Nah, it wasn't me. It was Larek."

Maria looked at him in surprise, "Larek? He's okay?"

Michael nodded, "Kicked Ko's ass seriously, too."

Everyone seemed relieved and Dane made a move to help Michael up, but Michael pushed him away.

"Forget it, I don't want your patchouli stink on me. Besides, I can do it myself, thank you."

Kyle looked at him suspiciously, "You can?"

Michael nodded, "Got my super powers back, thank you."

Everyone seemed to cheer, except for Maria, who just continued to hug Michael and weep.

_**To be continued…  
**_****

**A/N**: I know this is ending the Ko'dairk-Russians-thign rather prematurly, but this is how I'd like it to.

**A/N II**: Keep the reviews coming, four chapters left.

**_Q-n-P_**_**  
**_


	21. The Guest who came to Roswell

No one spoke as they drove their way back, each mind just resting with the notion that they had accomplished what they had set out for, that, and maybe more.

Michael was fast asleep, Maria as well. The two sleeping side by side as Kyle drove the bus through Sparks, Nevada.

Kyle smiled as he looked in the rear-view mirror at the sleeping couples.

Surprisingly, Dane and Laurie were huddled together, asleep as well.

"What are you smiling about?"

Ava, leaning against the back of the seat in front of her, was looking at Kyle with amusement spread across her face.

"Look at them, they're so peaceful, aren't they?" Kyle remarked; he then turned his eyes back to the road.

Ava, too, looked at the four sleepers and nodded.

"They do."

Kyle sighed.

"What?" Ava asked.

Kyle shrugged, "I'm fretting what lies ahead of us."

Ava moved up a seat closer. "What's that?"

Kyle smiled, "Boredom and uneventfulness."

**Chapter Twenty-One: The Guest who came to Roswell**

Sitting on the airplane, Andrew's head sleeping in her lap, Liz watched as the clouds came by their window, her mind filled to the brim with the past events.

What really had her mind preoccupied was that it now felt as if this was it, things were finally going to settle down.

Prior to getting onto the plane, they had received a phone call from Ava saying that Maria had awoken and they were returning from Oregon, shortly.

So this had to be it, right?

Things were going to go back to a normal, a concept that, to Liz, felt happened to her a lifetime ago.

So, did that mean she was never going to be content with things, once they were in a less hectic style?

Had she really abandoned the idea of living a life of safety and predictability and replaced it with that of uncertainty and danger?

Liz sighed and smiled. She never had thought of the idea of living out a normal life in a longtime.

Looking to the right of her, Max snoring lightly, his head tilted up, the pillow behind him sagging as it fell a few inches below his head.

Liz smiled, again.

Behind her, Isabel too was staring out the window, her thoughts not too different to that of Liz's. Beside her, Agent Veronica Kern sleeping, although a little more quietly than Max.

Isabel leaned forward, a little.

"Hey, Liz?"

Liz turned her head to the side, "Yes?"

Isabel smiled, "What're you thinking about, girl?"

Liz closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, "…I really don't know what to expect, I guess. Are we supposed to be happy that things are going to settle down for a change?"

Isabel laughed, "Glad to know I'm not the only one."

"Yeah." Liz replied.

* * *

In two days, both groups managed to arrive in Roswell, New Mexico. Not at the same time, however.

Michael, Maria and the others seemed to get there earlier.

Seeing the kids again had Michael feeling good. Both, to him, seemed to have grown since he had last seen them, but according to both Jim and Amy that was normal for any parent whose been gone for awhile should feel.

Later that evening, Max, Liz, Isabel, and a little kid arrived.

Max was quick to make the introduction.

"This is Andrew." He said, which was met with confusion by a lot of faces.

Max cleared his throat, "Um, you may remember him as Zan."

This soon cleared the air of confusion and everyone made their introductions to Andrew.

Max watched Andrew politely shake everyone's hand, looking a little overwhelmed by the amount of people who were in the house.

While Jim called up Jeff and Nancy, to have them come over for a "Welcome Back" celebration, Michael brought Andrew and Max with him to the nursery where Maria was fast asleep with Alex and Madeline.

"Those are your kids?" Andrew asked.

Michael nodded, "Yup, they sure are. The big one is a handful." Michael pointed at Maria.

This got a laugh from Andrew.

Max shushed him and he shook his head at Michael.

As soon as Jeff and Nancy arrived, Max brought Andrew to meet them as well.

This left Michael alone with Maria and the kids.

Walking over to them, Michael scooped up Maria from the chair next to the crib and took her to her own bedroom and put her in the bed, kissing her softly on the forehead just before leaving.

The party did not last too long as it was getting late, pretty quick.

Jesse was the last to arrive and he and Isabel spent the entire time outside.

Having some time alone, Max and Michael walked out the back of the house and sat on the porch swing that was on the back near the door.

Watching the stars and looking out at the New Mexico desert, neither of them spoke.

After awhile, Max sighed.

Michael sighed in turn, "Alright, Maxwell, out with it. What's on your mind?"

Max smiled, "You know me too well."

Michael grinned, "Hard not to."

Max sat back in the swing, "I wanted to apologize to you. I know before I was hell-bent on getting you to have Alex and Madeline put up for adoption, put them out of danger; and I shouldn't have suggested that. I'm sorry, Michael."

Michael shook his head, "Nothing to apologize for, Maxie. You just did what you thought was right at the time, I don't blame you for that."

Max shook his head, this time. "No, really. Going over and meeting Andrew's adoptive parents…I can't tell you how painful it was for me being a stranger to my own son. Not to have been there for so much of his life."

Michael looked at him, "But Max, didn't you tell me that Andrew grew from one and a half year old to a fully grown six year old?"

Max nodded, "No, that's right, but, you know what I mean. I feel I missed out so much by not being there for him. By not being there I also destroyed the lives of two people as well."

Michael groaned, "Not this again. Maxwell, I've told you this before. These things are not your fault."

Max shrugged, "Maybe not, but I still feel that I could have prevented them by thinking ahead."

Michael shrugged in turn, "Well, maybe but…"

Max looked to him, "But what?"

Michael hadn't answered him; he was looking at Brody who was coming up with Duncan to the house.

* * *

Isabel was talking with Jesse about them getting a house out in Roswell, when Max came to get her.

"What, Max? I'm busy here." She replied curtly.

"Larek's here along with Mar'di." He replied.

Isabel sighed and then got up and followed Max, Jesse following behind.

Michael had managed to awaken Maria and the two were out with everyone else, including Kyle and Ava.

"Everyone here? Good." Remarked Duncan.

He then nodded to Brody.

Brody smiled, "Glad to see all of you are together, especially you Michael. Glad to see Ko'dairk's reign of terror is over."

"You and me both. You gotta tell me, though, how you but the "reverse wammy" on her." Michael remarked.

Brody nodded, "In do time. Well, down to business, shall we? I'm pleased to tell you that the conflict on Dior is finally resolved."

Maria smiled, "That is good!"

Duncan nodded, "We had little casualties, bless the heavens."

Brody nodded, "The victory turned out to be from your all doing, actually."

Everyone looked at each other.

Brody smiled, "By vanquishing both Khivar and Nicholas, you've managed to turn the tide that was conflicting us. That and Antar."

Max, Michael, and Isabel looked in absolute bewilderment at Brody.

"Antar's free?" Max asked, his voice seemed to escape him.

Duncan nodded, "It is."

Michael smiled, "Well, that's great! So, are you guys going to help them restore things?"

Duncan and Brody looked at eachother and nodded.

Brody turned to the group, "Actually, Antar's hoping you four will."

Ava turned white, "Excuse me?"

The two nodded.

Isabel seemed to be having trouble finding her voice, "…But…Eh…Ah…"

Michael rubbed his hands against his face, "Let me get this straight. They want us to rule?"

Brody nodded.

Max shook his head, "I'm sorry Larek, we can't."

Duncan turned to Max, "Why not, King Zan?"

Max groaned hearing the title he hoped he would have escaped from a long time ago.

"Well, for starters, a lot of us have started families here." Isabel said, indicating not only herself but Max and Michael, as well.

Duncan smiled, "They can easily be transported to Antar, you know that, Vilandra."

Michael was really getting tired of this, "Do we even have a choice?"

Brody nodded, "A representative from Antar will be coming to Earth to discuss this more with the four of you."

Everyone had decided to go to bed after the meeting.

* * *

The next day, at the Crashdown Café, Everyone gathered in the booths to discuss about what this visitor meant.

"I don't like it all. Larek talked about it as if we didn't have a choice in the matter." Isabel said.

Michael nodded, "This is so sudden, also. It's like he was telling us to get ready to pack our bags, or something."

Max nodded, "We've had this discussion before, we all know that we wish to step away from that responsibility. I suggest that we tell whomever's coming to see us that we've already made up our minds."

Everyone at the table nodded.

"I don't like it. Besides, the people may not want to be run by an autocracy, anyways." Ava stated.

Again, everyone at the table nodded.

"When did Larek say this person will be coming?" Liz asked.

"Today, sometime this afternoon." Michael said.

"So, who's going to meet this person?" Max asked.

No one spoke and then Michael sighed, "I'll do it. I'm great at rejecting people."

Maria put her hand with the engagement ring in his face, "Really, 'Spaceboy'?"

Everyone laughed as Michael pushed it away.

Later in the day, Michael was walking Maria to a wedding planner shop, something he was actually dreading more than the visitor from Antar.

"Oh, c'mon, 'Spaceboy'. This won't kill ya." Maria smiled as she tugged at his arms into the office.

Michael sat bored in his mind as he made an occasional grunt when he was asked for his opinion about something, while the lady showed Maria various flower arrangements, locations, caterers, and gift planners.

Once they were out, Maria slugged him in the shoulder, "See that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Michael grinned, "All I could think about in there was the kick-ass bachelor party that Kyle and Max might throw for me."

Maria kicked him in the shin.

"Ow!" He exclaimed.

The two then proceeded to the UFO Center where Max and Liz were.

While Michael went to Max, Maria pulled Liz aside.

"Liz, I gotta ask you something."

"What?" She asked, a little startled by the abruptness.

"You're going to throw me a bachelorette party, right?"

Liz's eyes went wider; "I've never given it any thought, actually. Why, do you want one?"

Maria thought about it, "Actually it should be for us. I mean, after all, you never got one; did you?"

Liz thought for a moment, "No, I didn't. We should talk to Isabel and Ava about this. I think they'd have a better idea on what or what not to give us, right?"

Maria nodded.

Meanwhile, Max groaned when Michael mentioned "bachelor party".

"Are you serious, Michael?" Max asked.

Michael grinned, "Why not? You never got one, I don't think."

Max nodded, "You and Kyle wanted to give me one but I told you guys, no."

Michael shrugged, "Well, let's have one together anyway. You know, to make up for your lost one."

Max sighed, "Well, better talk to Jesse and Kyle. I'm sure they'd have a better idea what we should do, than I would."

Michael spent the rest of the morning to the mid-afternoon by taking numerous trips to the Crashdown to hang out with either Kyle or Dane.

It amazed him that Dane had decided to come back with them. Then again, maybe it wasn't all that crazy.

Seeing how both he and Laurie acted when they were around each other made sense.

Michael knew that he was going to have to have the "brotherly chat" with Dane about him dating his sister.

As the time dragged on, Michael realized it was getting pretty close to the time when he was supposed to meet Larek with the visitor who was coming.

Michael walked to the UFO Center from the Crashdown and found Brody waiting by the entrance.

"Are we ready, Michael?" He asked.

Michael, already knowing that Maria had revealed to Brody as to what has been happening to him all this time, still felt it was better to make sure he knew whom he was talking with.

"Larek?"

Brody nodded.

Brody then led them to the back of the building where someone was waiting in the shadows.

"She arrived later this morning." Brody said.

"She?" Michael asked.

Brody smiled, "You actually know her pretty well."

Stepping out was a girl who looked to be of Michael's age.

She had flowing snowy-white hair, striking blue eyes, was wearing a black top, and blue Levi's.

Michael starred at her and then rubbed his eyes.

"Surprised to see me, General?" She said, smiling.

Michael's eyes grew wide, "Lira?"

* * *

Maria along with Isabel and Liz; sat in the park along with the kids.

Max and Jesse were at Max's parent's place, introducing Andrew to his grandparents.

It seemed the "Christmas Nazi" turned into the "Bachelorette Party Nazi" as she had compiled a complete list for the festivities.

"Remember, novelties are a must. There will be a Wang this and Wang that there."

Liz and Maria groaned. They were starting to regret having thought to turn to Isabel in the first place.

Maria's eyes soon came to the far end of the playground as she saw Michael walking with a drop-dead beautiful blonde. The two were talking as they came up to the three.

"Michael?" Maria said, out of curiosity and motioned to the girl.

Michael grinned, "You'll never guess who this is."

Maria, hating to play these guessing games, gave him a look of 'explain already!'.

Michael grinned; again, "It's Lira!"

Maria was the only one who was surprised.

"Lira? Is that really you?"

Lira nodded. She then turned and saw the two babies in the strollers. She gave a toothy grin.

"Are these them?"

Michael nodded and brought her over to them to introduce them to her.

Meanwhile, both Liz and Isabel whispered to Maria.

"Who, or what, is that tooth-pick?" Asked Isabel.

"She's Lira. She was a double-spy on Dior. She actually protected us when a man came to assassinate Michael and I, when I was in labor." Maria said.

Liz looked at her, "She's pretty. Was she like this on Dior?"

Maria thought for a moment and then laughed, "Actually, I never met her when I was there."

"Well, she seems to know Michael, pretty good." Isabel said.

Maria sighed, "I know. Michael told me that General Rath and her were actually quite the couple, only until she cheated on him with Nicholas."

"Ewww." Said Isabel, giving a "grossed out" look.

Liz looked at Maria in surprise; "He actually remembers these things?"

Maria nodded, "He says that when he was in her room that he got these flashbacks of them when they were a couple."

Isabel coughed while drinking her soda. "Wait, wait, back up. Michael was in her room?"

Maria nodded, "Nothing happened though. He knows I'd kill him if he did do anything."

Liz watched Lira holding Madeline. "So, I guess she's the representative for Antar, huh?"

The two other women watched Lira without further conversation.

* * *

Walking with Lira and taking her to the Crashdown, Michael sat across from her as she read the menu.

"What's a "Men-In-Black"?" She asked.

Michael laughed, "It's based off of a movie about men who fight aliens."

Lira shook her head; "Earthlings never fail to amaze me with what they come up for life outside their planet."

Michael shrugged, "Whatever."

Lira set down the menu and looked at Michael with absolute seriousness.

"General, the newly liberated people of Antar wish to have their royal family to come back to govern them."

Michael sighed, "Lira…"

She continued, "After you four vanquished Khivar and Niico, your people had managed to defeat those remaining in league with Khivar. Your planet is liberated, General Rath. Don't you wish to make a return to your people?"

Michael sighed, he knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"Your sister asked me the same question a long time ago."

Lira was surprised hearing her sister being mentioned.

She nodded, "Coreen was a great admirer of yours, General. I know it would mean a lot to her spirit if you take your designated place at the royal palace."

To Michael's relief, Max, along with Kyle and Ava, arrived.

Michael motioned them over to them.

Max and the others had a look of curiosity about the person seated in front of Michael.

Michael made the quick introductions.

"King Zan, Queen Ava; it's an honor." Lira said, bowing her head.

Max sighed, "Please don't call us by those names. We've decided to abandon them."

Lira's face was mixed with perplexity. "What for?"

"We've had a long history on this planet and decided to call it our home. Even though we're from Antar, we've spent a better part of thirteen years here."

Lira shook her head, "I don't understand. You three are from Antar! What could possibly make you want to stay on this miserable, underdeveloped, planet?"

Michael smiled, "Lira, you've met them. Maria and my kids. Wherever they go, I go. So they've told me, they'd like to remain here."

Max nodded, "The same for me. I'm married and have a son. Both wish to be on this planet as well."

Lira shook her head in exasperation. She turned to Ava.

"I assume you too are married to someone and have offspring of your own?"

Ava laughed and shook her head, "I don't. But I've just got my life together for a change and am in a real relationship. I don't want to jeopardize that for any trip to place in a different galaxy."

Kyle squeezed her hand.

Lira sighed, "And Vilandra? Has she too found her mate and wishes to stay as well."

Max and Michael nodded.

Lira looked to the side and thought.

Moments later she turned back to them and shrugged.

"Alright, I'm going to stay."

All four of them looked at her in disbelief.

"Uh, what?" Michael asked.

Lira smiled, "General, I was given specific instruction to have the royal family come back with me to Antar, not matter how long it took. I've made my decision."

_**To be continued…**_

**A/N**: I know this chapter ended rather quickly, but I'm still gathering my thoughts, and it's late. That and I am out of beer. Just kidding.

**A/N II**: Three chapters left. Believe me this all comes together nicely. You will definitely love the following leading to the end. It's gonna be freakin' great!

**_Q-n-P_**


	22. Visons of the Future

Chapter 22: Visions of the Future

Despite the annoyance that Lira presented by constantly trying to persuade each of the Roswellians into talking Max, Isabel, Michael, and Ava into leaving Earth and going back to their home planet, things were looking pleasant for a change.

That and there were things to look forward to. Such as, the day after tomorrow would be Michael and Maria's wedding day.

"But you could get married on Antar or Dior!" Lira said excitingly, as she sat down in the Crashdown Café with Maria, Liz, and Ava.

"Keep tryin, kiddo. You know where me and my, soon-to-be, hubby stand on this. We're stayin." Maria said, chowing down on a French fry.

Lira sighed and then looked to Ava, who nearly choked on her milkshake, trying to conceal her laughter.

"W-What are you looking at me for?" She asked, wiping her mouth on a napkin.

"Well," Lira began, "You seem the less invested out of the four. Why prolong your destiny, Queen Ava?"

Ava groaned at the sound of her past-hierarchy title. She shook her head. "Nope. I'm staying here too, sorry."

Meanwhile, Max, Michael, Kyle, and Jesse were standing outside an exotic video store, all looking nervous and reluctant.

"C'mon, you go, Kyle." Michael said.

"Me? Why?" Kyle asked, looking confused at Michael.

"Well, you're used to this stuff, right? All you and your jock friends probably have a gift pass to this place by now."

Kyle laughed, "Wrong. I just bought the magazines at the gas station. I never once was able to make it in here."

Jesse sighed, "I guess no ones' going to be 'man enough' to go in there and check something out for the bachelor party tonight, huh?"

None of the other guys said anything, all of them just looked in different directions than the store itself.

Michael sighed, "So much for us living one more day as a bachelor, huh Max?"

Max chuckled, "Yeah, right. You're forgetting that, that road closed off for me awhile ago."

"Even much later for me." Jesse said, smirking.

"You disappoint me, Valenti." Michael said and removed himself from the side of the building and the others followed him as they walked down the street. All the while Kyle teasing Michael about not having the nerve to go in.

* * *

Jim Valenti, Amy DeLuca, and the Evans' worked hard about their own schedules to make way for the wedding ceremony. Along with Laurie and Dane, they began planning on where to actually set it up.

As far as Michael, Max, Maria, and Liz had it, they had it planned for the ceremony to take place outdoors.

"What if it rains?" Laurie asked, concernedly.

Jim chuckled, "That won't be a problem, not for these kids."

Phillip Evans nodded, "Max once told me how Isabel made it snow here, one time."

Dane shook his head, "Well, if it DOES rain, it may look conspicuous to the people in the town for it to clear up or disappear suddenly."

"Why?" Jim asked, "The weather changes all the time and forecasters are usually wrong about certain areas getting rained on, all the time."

Dane shrugged, "Well, if you say so."

The five of them continued on with the planning, writing certain people to invite, namely the Parker's, Brody and his daughter, other than them there seemed to be no one else they could think of that was close to the two families. The only other name that came up, which no one wanted to discuss about, as SHE had become a constant nuisance, was Lira.

"What time are the girls going to be over here to discuss certain arrangements?" Asked Amy.

Diane thought for a moment, looked at the clock, and then sighed. "I almost completely forgot. The girls are taking a road trip as a sort of 'Bachelorette party'. They won't be back until late this evening."

"What are you guys doing?"

Everyone in the living room turned to see Andrew standing in the doorway.

"Andrew? What are you doing in here, sweety? I thought you were playing your video games, Michael lent you?" Asked Diane.

Andrew shrugged, "Got bored, Grandma. What'cha all doing?"

"Nothing much, kiddo." Jim replied. "Just preparing for your dad's second and Michael and Maria's first wedding. They're going to be together."

Andrew looked intrigued. He walked up to the counter and placed two hands on the counter as he raised himself to peer at the surface to see what they were doing.

Dane brought over a chair for Andrew to sit in.

Just then two things happened. There was a knock at the door followed by baby cries from another room.

"I'll see to Alex and Madeline, will one of you get the door?" Amy said as she left the room.

Jim left the room and walked to the door. Opening it, he looked suspiciously at the shorthaired blonde who had dark shades on, with a lollipop in her mouth. She was dressed in a business suit, which Jim knew meant a number of things, but the thing, a warning, that alarmed in his mind was three letters: FBI.

"Yes?" Jim asked. The woman had her back to him, looking around the area.

Seeing the door was answered, the woman spun around, smiled and removed the sucker from her mouth.

"Is Max Evans here?"

Jim shook his head, "No, he isn't."

"Is someone asking for Max?" Asked Phillip, who came to the doorway with Diane close by.

The woman nodded and extended her hand.

"Yes, sir. I'm Agent Carmine. I was sent here by Special Agent Veronica Kern, to see Max about a job opportunity, should he be interested. He helped this country out a lot with the disarmament of that Russian weapons factory. Agent Kern got the approval from our Director to have Max be apart of a special field ops group, should he be interested."

"Uh, huh." Phillip said, unconvinced. "Why isn't Miss Kern here to tell us, and Max, herself?"

Agent Carmine sighed and removed her glasses, "She's in the process of becoming a Assistant Director at J. Edgar Hoover, sir. She's indisposed of, at the moment. That's why she's sent me to come talk with him and his wife about this job and see if he's interested. Your Max's father, aren't you?"

Phillip sighed and nodded.

Agent Carmine reached into her back pocket and dug around until she found her business card. She handed it to Phillip.

"I'm going to be in Roswell for a couple of days. Please have him or his wife call me."

Phillip took the card and after he did, Agent Carmine made a non-verbal 'goodbye' and went back to her Oldsmobile and took off.

Jim closed the door as both Phillip and Diane scrutinized and commented quietly about the card and the message that went along with it.

"I'm guessing the 'Agent Kern' she was referring to was the one that went with Isabel and Liz to Russia to get Max and Andrew back?" Jim asked.

Phillip nodded. "Yeah, she was; although, When they got back, she immediately left for West Virginia. We haven't heard from her since." He then showed the card to Jim. "Do you think this 'job offer' is genuine? Or is it a trap?"

Jim sighed, "I couldn't tell ya, Phil."

"Anyway you could call up the local FBI office in Albuquerque, and see if she is who she says she is?"

Jim nodded and took out his cell.

"I'll call the guys and give them the heads up." Laurie said, taking out the 'special' cell and giving a call.

* * *

Seeing mile marker 54 pass them by, Maria sighed, wishing that she was with her kids rather than on this stupid, pointless, trip with the newly designated, 'bachelorette party nazi'.

Isabel gave off a list of things they would do at the rest stop that _no one_ has ever done, to make this more original. Then they would do some gratuitous flirting with every male stranger they would meet, saying that they were going to Las Vegas to be lounge singers. Which turned out to be a bad idea for some of the guys they encountered looked too shady to even walk up to, let alone make gestures.

Both Maria and Liz were trying to be nice about this. After all, as Isabel reminded them at one point when Maria complained about how uneventful the trip was, that Isabel 'sacrificed' precious hours helping the others plan the wedding to go on this trip with Liz and Maria.

It wasn't that bad, though. There were some moments such as Liz jumping and running for cover when a rattlesnake brushed up against her leg at the mini-mart in Alamogordo, or when Isabel accidentally spilled all three of their coffees on herself when a kid jumped up to scare her. However, these were the only things that Maria liked about their little trip, so far. As it was becoming increasingly boring.

"Uh, oh." Isabel said.

"What?" Maria grumbled, her head leaning against her hand on her elbow, which was propped up on her knee. She was looking out the window but now looked to Isabel, who was driving them.

"Uh, we're out of gas. As far as I can see, there's no gas station around for twenty miles, or more."

"Great." Maria moaned.

Isabel pulled them over and got out, as did Maria who had to wake up Liz who had been sleeping since Alamogordo.

"Are we home yet?" Liz moaned.

Maria grinned and shook her head. "Not yet, but hang in there, Parker-Evans."

Liz stretched and yawned while Isabel called out to Maria.

Maria walked around to where Isabel was where she had the gas cap off of the car, but looking around, cautiously.

"I need you to look out for me. Just in case someone pulls over to try and assist us, I'll need you and Liz to divert them away."

"Why?" Maria asked.

Isabel then stuck her pointer-finger into the gas tank hole.

"Cause this is going to take awhile." Isabel said, closing her eyes.

Maria threw up her hands, dramatically.

_Great_, She thought, _Just great._

Returning to Liz, and telling her what Isabel had said; Liz yawned, again, and then shrugged. The two then sat on the hood of the car and both swung their feet as they looked out at the still-hazy mid-afternoon day.

"So," Maria said, trying to bring up another topic other than what a crummy day it had been for her, which had been an over-used topic, at this point; "What are you, Max, and Andrew going to do after the two of you get 're-married'?"

Liz shrugged. "I haven't thought that far ahead, actually. I was hoping that I could go back to school, or even both of us go back to school and maybe have Andrew stay with Max's parents or mine while we do it. You? What about you, Michael, and the kids? What are your guys' plans?"

Maria shrugged, too. "I think Michael's grand plan is to go into construction. He's been taking about it for awhile. I think Kyle and Dane got him into the idea."

Liz smiled and shook her head, "Those two? Well, that's not surprising, then." She looked, then more concernedly at Maria. "But what about your dreams? What about your becoming a famous singer? Are you just going to put that on hold?"

Maria sighed, "I'm not sure. I guess both of us need to sit down with our men and see what we all want and where to go from after the wedding."

Liz nodded, solemnly. Isabel reemerged from the gas tank and wiped her finger on a discarded McDonald's napkin from the car.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

Both girls got off the hood off the car and walked back to their designated places as Isabel then proceeded to drive the three of them back to Roswell.

* * *

"Thanks for the info, Dad. I'll tell the others, bye." Max said and then shut close his cell.

Max told the others about the conversation on the phone and about the Agent Carmine who came to visit with the 'job offer' that, supposedly, Agent Kern was offering.

"Sounds like-a trap to me." Michael said, crumbling up his burger wrapper and tossing it into the garbage.

"Is Jim looking into it?" Jesse asked.

Max nodded, "Both he and my Dad are."

Michael stretched as he got off the table he was sitting on and looked to the others. "Should we check this 'Agent' out?"

Kyle shrugged, "It'd be a 'pick-me-up' from everything else we've done today. I'm in."

Jesse shook his head, "I don't know…"

Michael sighed, "Max, what about you?"

Max thought for a moment, sighed, and then shrugged. "I guess if we're careful…"

Michael jumped off the table and clapped Max on the back, "That's my reckless boy."

Jesse continued to mutter worries as they got into Max's Mustang and drove off to the Roswell Holiday Inn where, supposedly, they thought the Agent was staying at. Considering that it was the only 'decent' lodging in town, they felt it was probably the best bet on where the Agent was staying.

Parking, they all got out and Max and Michael went in alone inside the Inn. A woman with permed, red hair, wearing a black suit, wearing a headset, looked up at the two of them as they approached the front desk.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

Max nodded, "Uh, yeah. I believe we're expected by someone staying here, at least we **think** she's staying here; She's an FBI Agent, an Agent Carmine?"

The woman went to her computer and noisily typed as her eyes darted back and forth at the computer screen. Once her computer beeped, she turned back to Max and Michael.

"I have a 'Lorraine Carmine' staying here, but it says that she's out."

"You mean she's checked out?" Michael asked.

The woman shook her head, "No, just walked out. Would you like me to leave you a message?"

Michael saw a faint reflection of the woman's computer screen on the glass of the painting behind her. He shook his head.

"Nah, we'll catch her later."

"Thank you, anyways." Max said, politely. The two then walked back outside to Jesse and Kyle.

"What'd you find out?" Kyle asked, anxiously.

"Her name is Lorraine and she's in room 234." Michael said.

The rooms were situated in separate extensions of the building outside. Walking around, they went through the pool area and found a stenciled sign indicating where certain rooms were by arrows. They found that rooms 230-259 were to the right. Walking further down the pathway, they heard a loud argument from another room as they passed by it.

"Jeez, people. Watch the TV, why don'tcha?" Kyle muttered as they passed by the room and heard a crash, which caused them all to stop and stare at the door.

"C'mon, we're almost there." Michael said, ushering them on further as they went by four more doors before coming to room 234.

Michael looked from side to side to see if anyone was watching, then, he waived his hand in front of the electronic card lock on top of the doorknob.

There was a pause and then a bleeping sound followed by the light next to the slit turning from red to green, followed by a clicking sound.

Michael went in, followed closely by Max, Kyle, and then Jesse.

"Are you sure this is the right room?" Jesse asked. The room was dressed in a way that looked as if it hadn't been stayed in for awhile.

Michael nodded, "I read the screen correctly."

All four of them went searching in the room, opening doors, drawers, but all found the place completely unused.

"Perhaps she travels lightly." Kyle stated as he closed a drawer.

Michael shook his head, "Nah, something about this doesn't feel right."

"Besides us being here and doing this?" Jesse stated.

Max went to the window to peer out and dived as he heard a loud gunshot. He noticed the others did the same. Looking up, Max noticed that the window was intact and that there weren't any shots that followed. He then noticed a man rushing by the window in a blur.

"I think we should get out of here." Jesse said.

"I'm on board." Kyle said, getting up off the ground.

Max opened the door and peered around and noticed other occupants of the other rooms had opened their doors too and were looking about for the source of the shooting.

Max made a gesture inside for the others to wait as he got out of the room and went up to two people talking to eachother.

"What happened?" Max asked.

A bearded man, dressed in biker gear, sighed. "Some fool shot a woman in there." He pointed to the room where Max and the others had heard the commotion and yelling from.

"Already called the police." Said an elderly man, smoking on a pipe. "I hope they capture the bastard."

Max nodded and excused himself without having to say anything. He walked back into the room and disclosed what he had learned to the others.

"We should get out of here." Kyle said.

Michael walked up to Max, who was deep in thought.

"Max?" Michael asked.

Max sighed, "I hate this. We were right by their door, we knew that there was a problem. We could have prevented that woman from being shot."

Jesse walked up to Max, "It's not your fault, Max, nor ours. Some things are just out of our control."

Max shook his head and sighed.

Michael sighed, as well and put a hand on Max's shoulder.

"What do you want to do about it, hero?"

While Kyle and Jesse left to tell the others what Michael and Max were doing, as the two walked into the murdered woman's room and closed the door and then the shades.

"How much time before the cops come?" Michael asked.

Max looked about the room, "I don't know, that's why we got to be quick."

The two found the woman dead in the bathroom; her body lay sprawled up against the cabinet underneath the sink. Her head was tilted forward, a gunshot to the front, just above her eyes, of her head, trickled with fresh blood.

"Damn." Michael said, disturbed as he grimaced looking at the woman.

Max continued looking about the room for clues. Different from the supposed room of the absent Agent, this room had the bed all fussed up, extinguished cigarettes in an ashtray on the small circular table, and clothes discarded all over the floor. There was a satchel that lay open, lying by the bed.

Max approached the bag and looked inside. Inside the bag were various syringes, small rubber tubes, and several small bottles filled with a brown-like substance.

Max looked back up to the woman. "She's a junkie, I think."

Michael looked up to the ceiling and exhaled, dramatically. "Great."

Max looked back to the bag and also found an address book. Taking it out, he walked over to the phone on the nightstand next to the bed and took out a pad of stationary paper. Flipping through the book, Max, slowly, waived his hand on the stationary paper and copied all the information in the book to the paper. When he finished, he laid the address book back in the bag and waived his hand again to rid it of his own finger prints.

"Uh, Max? I think we should split and now!" Michael said, peering out the window and noticing a black and white coming into the parking area.

Max ripped the paper off and, hurriedly, went with Michael out the door of the room and outside.

* * *

It was early evening when Isabel, Maria, and Liz came back. Pulling into the DeLuca's driveway, Maria gave a too loud of a relieved sigh.

"Oh, c'mon, we had fun, didn't we?" Isabel stated looking to Liz.

Liz feigned a sincere smile and nod.  
The three came to the doorway and they went in quickly when they heard a loud argument being discussed inside.

As soon as they opened the door, they noticed everyone turned to look at them.

"Hey, you're back!" Ava said. She was still dressed in her waitress outfit from the Crashdown, her springed antennas bobbed as she hugged all three of them. "How was it?"

"Well…" Isabel began, but Maria cut her off.

"What's going on?"

Jim, the Evans', and Jesse were the only ones, besides the four girls, standing. Kyle, Dane, and Laurie were sitting on the sofa.

Jesse sighed as Isabel walked to him, "Max and Michael…"

"They should have talked to me first, before going off and doing this!" Jim grunted.

Liz looked around, "What did they 'do'?"

Kyle sighed, "Well we went to this FBI lady's room, to see what or who she is, and, in the meantime, someone got shot. Max and Michael are tracking down the guy who did it."

Maria closed her eyes and held out her hands in front of her, haltingly.

"Whoa, wait, take a step back, here. FBI? Shooting? Max and Michael investigating? Not the combination I like."

Jim nodded. "I agree, Maria. I've tried to reach them on their cells, but, being as 'smart' they are, they left them in the Mustang."

Liz sighed and sat down with Laurie and Dane. "Start from the beginning. Let's start with this FBI woman, to begin with."

Jim sighed and told the three about the visit by the woman proclaiming to be from the FBI and to have been sent by Agent Kern with a prospective job offer for Max for his involvement with the destruction of the Russian weapons building. Kyle and Jesse finished off by telling how, with Max and them, deciding to look in on the woman and to see what they could find all up to the point where they heard the shooting and Max and Michael deciding to look in on it.

When all had finished with what had been happening, no one had spoken. Then, Maria turned and, out of irritation, paced.

"Ooo, I could _**kill**_ Michael!" She then walked over to the table and picked up the keys to his dirt bike and stormed out the front door. A few moments later she returned, her expression looking the same, but her face had turned beet-red.

"Does anyone know how to drive a dirt bike?"

Dane raised his hand and got off the couch.

Jim sighed, "Forget the bike, come with me, I'll drive."

* * *

Max and Michael hadn't been getting anywhere. So far the address copied from the drug dealer's book, seemed to be the address of his customers, all of who seemed reluctant to talk to either one of them about their dealer.

"This guy's a murderer!" Michael yelled at the disheveled man, who was slumped up against the side of the porch of his dilapidated house. "Is this the kind of person you think is worth protecting?"

The man looked at him with half-closed eyes, he yawned.

"Look, narc. I ain't talkin to you, or no one about him. Get lost."

Max sighed, "Come on, Michael, let's go." He led Michael away from the man and back out to the sidewalk as Michael still looked narrowingly at the man on the porch.

"People." Michael said, shaking his head.

Max nodded. "We have three address left."

Michael sighed, "How're you sure we'll even find this guy at one of these address, Maxwell? Seems like we're reaching."

"I need to catch this guy, Michael. I feel like we screwed up by not saving that woman."

Michael, again, sighed and starred upward to the, now, star-lit sky.

"Max, Max, Max. How many times-"

"We _could_ have prevented it. We could have." Max said.

Michael shrugged, "If you say so. You know I'm with ya."

Max sighed and rubbed his eyes, "I know and I appreciate it."

It took ten minutes before they reached the next place where the dealer did his business. To their surprise, the 'place' was a grocery store. Acker's Grocery.

"Mr. Acker's? I know the guy has problems, but drug ones?" Michael asked, astonished.

Max didn't answer but instead, walked right into the store with Michael. The place was packed, which wasn't unusual at this particular time.

"Do you even know what he looks like?" Michael asked as they walked down one of the isles.

Max stopped and thought for a moment. "He has a mustache…a black one. He's slightly bald and is short."

Michael nodded, "Alright, but what's his favorite song?"

Max sighed and turned away, looking at everyone in the grocery store as he went up the isle to the back. So far, no one he could see was anywhere closely resembling the man Max had seen running past the window. Then, just as he was nearing the end of the isle, Max stopped. There was a man crouched down on the floor, tying his shoelace. Max waited until the man either brought his head up or until he fully risen to see if this was the guy. The head came up slightly, and Max could see a full set of hair. Max sighed out of disappointment. He turned to Michael, who seemed to be watching the same guy.

"I give up." Max said, defeatedly.

Michael didn't respond, as he continued watching the same guy Max had done previously.

Max looked to where Michael was looking and then turned back to him.

"It's not him."

Michael looked to Max and then back to the guy.

"What do you mean? He's got a mustache, which is black, and he's short."

"Well," Max said, "He's not bald, which is a key indicator on whether or not it's him."

Michael gave a lopsided smile, "Haven't you heard of a toupee, Maxie?"

Max starred and then turned back to the man he'd been looking at before, scrunching his eyes as he tried to look more closely.

"Can you tell?" He asked Michael.

Michael shrugged, "One way to find out." He then jerked his index finger up and, just as predicted, the toupee of the man they were looking at came right off and onto the floor. The man hurriedly bent over, grabbed the piece, and placed it back on his head. He clumsily moved it about into position.

Michael looked to Max, who nodded and the two moved in closer.

It was then, however, that the man noticed of their looking at him. Looking over his shoulder, the man then changed direction and walked down the meat and dairy isle along the wall of the store. Max and Michael followed quickly.

The man then made a mad dash to the doors leading into the back of the store, knocking over a grocery clerk in his wake.

Michael and Max pursued him, until they finally reached the back where they noticed he was gone. Large stacks on pallets of all items for the store littered the back, making the area into a maze.

"Damn! Where did he go?" Michael said, looking around.

"Split up?" Max asked.

Michael nodded and the two walked in separate directions, weaving through the towering pallets of food.

Max looked cautiously about as he walked around the towering stacks. He felt his heart racing, wildly. His mind suddenly questioned his motives for doing this sort of thing. Max shook his head to remove the fear and self-doubt. Coming around the third row, two hands holding a crowbar came swinging down and hit Max in the shoulder, dropping him to the floor.

Max grunted out in pain. The person revealed himself to be the man they were chasing.

The man dropped the bar and took out a small revolver from the front of his pants; he shakingly pointed it down at Max.

"Wh-Who are you guys? Cops? Feds?"

Max was too busy clutching his shoulder, which hurt like hell.

The dealer pulled the hammer down on the gun, which still was shaking violently.

"Hey."

The dealer looked up and Michael, who had his hand extended outward, sent the man flying backwards into one of the many stacks.

Michael, then, helped Max back up onto his feet. Max put his hand on his injured shoulder, healing it in the process.

"You ok?" Michael asked.

Max nodded.

Michael turned back to the dealer. "Well, what now? Take him to the cop-shop with a note pinned on him?"

"I think not." A voice said, from behind.

Max and Michael turned around and found themselves completely surrounded by men with guns. A tall, domineering, man in a suit came out, his hands in his pockets approached from behind the others.

"I don't know who the two of you are, or how you managed to track Gary down, but you little journey ends here."

* * *

Maria was getting worried. It had already been an hour and so far they haven't been able to find neither Michael nor Max. It was getting late, the four of them still searched on, yet hope on finding them before night's end, was getting dim.

Jim, Liz, and Dane still continued, as did Maria, as they went by possible places the boys could have gone. Before going, Jim had made a call to the station house to see if the boys had been spotted near the Inn and if anyone had seen where they might have gone to…no one knew.

Maria sighed, she knew Michael wasn't to blame for this. After all, he was just being a good friend and Maria knew if there had been a trading of places she'd have done exactly the same thing had Liz asked. Still, with it getting later by the minute, her worrying was increasing. Jim was on the phone with one of the officers who were at the scene of the crime at the Inn.

"Really?" He then took out a piece of paper and wrote on it. "What was that last one? Ok, I got it. Thanks." He then hung up his phone.

"What do you got?" Liz asked.

"Apparently the guy who shot the woman was her drug dealer. He had a bag full of his junk and an address book with names and addresses."

Maria looked away from the window, hopefully. "You think the guys found it and have been trying to track the dealer down?"

Jim sighed, "Knowing Max, it's probably a best bet. The only problem is junkies don't like to talk about where they get their stuff and from whom, unless they're forced to."

"Where does that leave us, then?" Liz asked.

Jim, then, smiled. "One of the addresses is probably the best place we can go to, to see if anyone has seen either one of them."

"Where's that?" Maria asked.

Without answering, Jim turned around and drove all the way to Acker's Grocery. Pulling inside the parking lot, Maria laughed, ruefully.

"Acker's, huh? I know he's a pervert, but a junkie?"

Jim sighed, "You know that's just a myth made up by some old women, just because the guy lives with his mother and is unmarried."

Maria shrugged, "Still…"

The four walked into the store where two, uniformed, police officers were interviewing some people.

Maria was terrified, now.

One of the officers noticed them, and Jim.

"Sheriff? What are you doing here? I thought it was your night off?"

Jim nodded and strolled forward. "We're looking for some friends, thought they might have come in here to shop. Have you found anything regarding the murder at the Inn?"

One of the officers shrugged, "Maybe, I guess. Several people here saw two young men chasing a strange short guy into the back of the store."

Jim, Maria, Liz, and Dane looked at the officer with interest.

"And?" Jim asked.

The officer, again, shrugged. "Well, sir, that's the thing. No one saw any of them come back out. We went back there and all we found was some blood on the ground near some boxes, but no bodies. Nobody, nothing."

Jim turned to Maria and Liz and tried to give a reassuring look. However both of them had now walked away and were proceeding to the back of the store when another officer came out and held up a hand.

"Sorry ladies, I can't let you back there."

"Like hell!" Maria said and she pushed through the officer and walked back with Liz right behind her. The officer shouted at them, but didn't follow.

Maria had one thought on her mind and that was to try and find what the police couldn't. Anything, hopefully, that would be a clue as to what happened to Michael, and Max.

Soon, however, she found herself lost as the place was towering with stacked crates of merchandise for the store.

"I wish you two would wait, but I guess that's too much to hope for." Jim said who walked ahead of the girls, who followed.

He led them around to an area where there were fewer crates. Jim pointed to an area that was masked away by police tape. Both Maria and Liz knelt down as they tried to see behind the tape and saw a small pool of blood on the floor.

"Unfortunately, forensic evidence won't be available till tomorrow." Jim said, "So, we won't know whose blood that is until then."

Maria and Liz sighed in unison.

Liz looked back to Jim. "Is there anything? Anything that could tell us what happened back here when Max and Michael went back here, when they went after that guy?"

Jim sighed, "Well, from what the other officers tell me, is that the description of the man the guys were chasing matches that of a man that's been wanted in both New Mexico and Arizona for drug possession, selling, racketeering, and murder. Other than that, there's very little. They've found hundreds of finger-prints but that's a dead end seeing as how Acker's employs almost twenty people."

Liz sighed.

Maria looked up and around and noticed that there were several cameras in high positions on the ceilings, probably to prevent stealing and to record any loss.

She pointed them out to Jim. "Has anyone checked out the video on this place?"

Jim nodded, "They didn't see Max, Michael, or the guy they were chasing."

Maria closed her eyes, trying to be calm. "Well, did they check for anything else? Maybe to see if there was anyone suspicious or out of place back here that may be linked?"

Jim thought for a moment and then called out.

"Ronny! Can we see those tapes?"

* * *

Tied and gagged, Michael squinted his eyes as he felt the rough impact of his rear against the unpadded floor of the van as the van hit a speed bump. Looking to his right, he noticed Max had experienced it too.

Michael closed his eyes, wondering where this little trip of theirs was going to end. After having been surrounded, the men tied both Michael and Max at gun point, threw them in the back of this van, and have been riding it ever since. There was no mention as to where their final destination was, but where ever it was seemed to be roughly close.

Michael sighed. Were they cursed? It seemed any venture they took, or par took of, seemed to land them in these types of situations. Michael remembered vividly life before all of this began. A life, which seemed like an entirely separate life than what they, now, lived; where they lived in constant fear of being found out. All of which was changed when Max Evans decided to save the life of the one he loved most.

Michael, despite the cloth tied around his mouth, smiled. Hell, it was worth it, all of it. Besides, it wasn't over yet.

Their journey ended as the van came to an abrupt halt. And the back doors of the van opened where three men with guns dragged Max and Michael out into the open. Looking around, Michael recognized that they were near the mill where him, Max, Liz, Isabel, Maria, and Alex, when he was still alive, took part in a high school party and Max and Liz got busted for the alcohol at that party.

The men dragged the two of them to the large storage house where two guards lay outside, in their hands were Uzis.

The guards looked narrowingly at the two captured, and one held the door open for them to be brought inside. Once in, Michael was astounded to see that the place had been converted into a large drug lab. Various amounts of migrant workers, all wearing masks, worked at tables where white powder lay stacked and they quickly packaged them into small bags to be placed in plastic bins at the ends of their tables. Numerous men with guns walked by each workstation, looking over the process and scanning every worker, they too had menacing weapons. Michael and Max were taken past them to an office area in the far corner of the back where another guard was positioned, also masked.

After being pushed right through the door, two men went behind Michael and Max and undid their gags. There were two men in front of them, one of who was the man they met at Acker's Grocery; the other was in a large, leather-bound, chair.

"Are these them?" Asked the man in the chair, his back to them. He was watching the process of the work floor from a window in front of him.

"Yes." Said the man next to him.

He turned around and revealed himself to be a man of an elderly state. His white beard and hardened look looked at Michael and Max.

"Is Gary here?" He asked.

The other man nodded.

"Send him in."

The other man motioned to one of the guards and they left. In a second, the dealer, Gary, came in. He ringed his hands and looked nervously to the two men in front of him.

The man in the chair looked narrowingly at Gary.

"How is it, with all that we pay you to distribute our merchandise discreetly, that you could be found out by a pair of teenagers?"

Gary turned white. "I-I WAS careful, Mr. Zoel. I Don't know how they-"

Mr. Zoel held up a hand, silencing Gary. "You know how we work. Quiet, unseen, and without anyone knowing about us. You've failed." He then looked to one of the guards who was positioned behind Max. The man lifted his weapon and shot a single hot at the back of Gary's head. Gary fell to the floor with a loud thud.

While the guard who shot him proceeded taking Gary's body out of the room, Mr. Zoel lit up a cigar and looked intently at Michael and Max.

"Now, you two. How many others know about Gary and this operation. Answer and answer quickly."

"No one." Michael answered. Max nodded.

Mr. Zoel squinted as he took one last drag and then extinguished the cigar on a tray at his desk. He turned to the man next to him. "Are they telling the truth, Jonathan?"

Jonathan shrugged, "Can't say."

Mr. Zoel closed his eyes. "Gary was a nobody. His being missing will trigger nothing to draw attention to this operation. These two however…"

Michael looked from the corner of his eye to Max, who to his amazement seemed absolutely calm.

Mr. Zoel looked back at Jonathan. "Thoughts?"

Jonathan smirked, "Well, they worked awfully hard to find us, might as well they experience first-hand what it's like to be in this world and put them out on the floor. We can decide what to do with them later when we move our operation."

Mr. Zoel gave a soft smile, "As always, you have good judgement, Jonathan. Yes, take them out to the floor and have them work. If they resist, run, or try anything, kill them."

The guards nodded and took Michael and Max outside. Michael noticed that Mr. Zoel was watching through the window of the office, puffing on his re-lit cigar. Michael sighed as he noticed that they were being separated and put into opposite places on the floor. Michael surveyed the room and noticed that there were at least twelve men, armed, patrolling the area, not counting those outside or the one outside Mr. Zoel's office. Escape was suicide, at this point. However, they needed to come up with something, or, like that guy Jonathan said, they were going to be dealt with when these people moved their operation, which to the way Michael had heard it, sounded like would be happening fairly soon.

* * *

Sitting inside the cramped, small, little office of the grocery store, Jim and the others looked over the tapes from today to find any sort of hint or clue as to what may have happened to Max and Michael. So far, all the tapes were showing the usual people who worked at the grocery store, moving in merchandise in and out.

Maria sighed. She was hoping with all her might that this wasn't a dead end and that Max and Michael were lost to them forever.

Then, something showed on the fourth tape. This image showed Mr. Acker, himself, being approached by several men in suits. Two of these men had guns.

"You really need better people on your force, Mr. Valenti." Dane said, smiling, cockily.

Jim didn't reply to Dane's remark as he and the girls continued to watch for any clues as to who these people were. The men seemed to be talking in a heated discussion with Mr. Acker who was waiving his arms and hands about in a dramatic manner. He then stormed off and the men turned and left to the back door where a van was parked outside, waiting.

"Wait," Maria said, "Freeze that."

Jim hit the pause button and Maria leaned forward and she squinted. "Can you read the license plate?"

Jim did as she did and scribbled on a piece of paper. Once he had finished he looked at the number.

"JT876509 NM" He thought for a moment and then picked up a phone. "Yes, Peter, hi. I need you to look up a plate number for me." While Jim gave the number, Maria continued to look at the men who had her fiancé and Liz's. One terrible thing that went through her head was that these were people who had discovered Max and Michael's origins and this was another whole government attack.

Jim was soon off the phone and he wrote down an address.

"Do you have something?" Liz asked, hopefully.

Jim nodded, "Maybe. That van is registered to a place on this address. However, I don't want you three to come along." Maria, Liz, and Dane began to protest but Jim shook his head. "Sorry, not where there's guns involved and where there's drugs there's to be more men with guns. I'm going to call Jesse to pick you guys up while me, and some officers, head over to this address. I WANT you three to stay home and wait for me to call you, is that understood?"

No one answered and Jim immediately took it to mean they agreed with him, albeit reluctantly.

"Things are going to be fine, you'll see. I'm going to get Michael and Max back safely, you can count on it." He then picked up the phone again and called Jesse's cell.

* * *

It was hot as hell on the floor, the work became exhausting, and the presence of the armed men hovering about, irritating. That and whenever Michael tried to glance over at Max, he was quickly yelled at and butted in the ribs by one of the armed men.

This sucked, royally. Michael wanted nothing more than to either attack these guys or try to run and make it out alive. He knew, though, that both of those options required Max and both of them ended with them getting shot.

Sighing through his mask, Michael continued strenuously at packing the right amount of powder into the bag, rolling it, taping it, and then placing it onto the pile already in the bin. He was tempted to use his power, so tempted. The more he got hit in the ribs for looking elsewhere, the more his fingers reflexed and wanted to strike one of these guys hard. He knew there were consequences and unseen ones. Max could be punished for Michael's arrogance and mistakes. Michael wondered if Max was feeling as vindictive as he was right now.

There was a whistling sound and then one of the guards shouted, "Five minute break! Hydrate yourself and then prepare to get back to work!"

Grumbling came from the workers as the marched over to a counter that had very small pixie cups of water laid out for them.

Michael was relieved. Finally he'd get a chance to confer with Max. Going over, he found that the guards weren't lax here than they were on the floor. No one talked with eachother, none dared to look anywhere but the floor as the guards walked by everyone to see if they had any evidence of taking any of the merchandise. One of the guards seemed to be particularly interested in Michael as he continued to watch him through the whole line all the way to where he got his cup. Michael glared at him, which resounded with the guard tightening his grip on his weapon and motioning to someone behind Michael. Michael felt, yet another, hard blow to his side as a guard behind him hit Michael with the butt of his Uzi.

"Eyes front!" He shouted.

Michael breathed shallowly, trying his hardest to keep his temper in check. Not just for his sake, or Max's, but for everyone else here, as well.

Michael had found Max who seemed to dare to take a quick glance at Michael before returning his gaze back down to the floor. Michael made his way to Max, hoping that they weren't choosy over who was with whom during break time.

Michael noticed the closer that he got to Max, that Max was clutching the side of himself. It dawned on Michael that Max had received more than what Michael had with punishment from the guards. Michael was relieved that he was able to stand next to Max without be reprimanded by the guards.

He knew, however, that any eye contact or verbal communication WOULD result in more harm. Michael decided to proceed cautiously and hope, if it worked, Max would follow in turn.

Drinking his cup entirely in a matter of seconds, Michael used his finger and, using his powers, scribed very small, across, "Are you ok?" Michael then made a very quiet tapping sound against the cup with his finger. Which seemed to work since Max soon tapped his against his own cup and Michael peered quickly at Max's cup, which read, "Fine, I guess. How do we get out?"

Michael repeated the process and tapped his cup to Max, which read, "Without getting us and everyone killed? No idea, you?"

Again, Max tapped his cup and Michael quickly glanced, again.

"Must try something."

"Alright, break time's over! Back to work!" A guard yelled.

* * *

With all the supernatural power that their group possessed, it was times like these that Maria hated being powerless over.

Staying at home with Liz, Ava, Laurie, Dane, Isabel, Kyle, and Jesse; Maria also hated the fact that she obeyed Sheriff Valenti when asked to. It has been over an hour and so far Jim hadn't called the house, which was worrying Amy and Kyle.

Maria hated this. She wished she had tried or harder, argued, at least, or something. She could feel that Liz was feeling as frustrated, or even more as she was the only one pacing in the room. She stopped, as she appeared to have thought of something. She immediately went to Isabel.

"Dream-Walking. Can it be done while they're awake?" She asked her.

Maria felt like slapping herself over the head. Why hadn't she thought of that? Maria got up and joined Liz as Isabel sighed.

"I've only done it once and it didn't turn out good."

"Look, we just need to see if they're doing ok, alright? Anything to give us some peace of mind." Maria said.

Isabel thought for a moment then said, "Fine, as you wish." She set down her cup of tea and had Maria and Liz follow her to the center of the room where she sat down on the floor, Maria and Liz did likewise.

"Alright," She began, "Take my hand and close your eyes." Both did as they were told. Isabel closed her and her mind concentrated on images she had warmly memorized of both Max and Michael.

Maria soon found herself in a darkened room, though she wasn't alone, as she could sense Liz and Isabel close by. Maria inspected this place further and found two lights in opposite direction from eachother.

"One of those are Michael or Max and the other is the way back out." Isabel instructed. "Don't take too long or you might fall asleep."

Maria nodded and approached the light closest to her and found that it was the way back out. She turned and headed toward the other light and found it to be a room surrounded in white. Upon further inspection, it seemed to be the inside of a warehouse. She ventured on further, trying to get more information as to what was happening to Michael and Max, when she found herself being pushed away from the light.

_Oh, no_, she thought, _I came here to find out what's happening and I'm not leaving with out it. _Resolved, Maria fought against the resistance and pushed hard.

* * *

Michael felt odd. Something wasn't right. Perhaps some of this crap had gotten through his mask. He was beginning to feel dizzy and soon he lost his balance and fell to the floor.

Now, he couldn't move, or do anything other than see and hear.

"Aw Dammit!" Said a guard looking down upon him. "We got a dropper!"

Michael then felt someone grab him underneath his arms and began to drag him up and away from the floor. The person continued on dragging him to a room Michael had never been before. It was smaller than Mr. Zoel's office and there seemed to be a makeshift medical table that had bandages, rubbing alcohol, and cotton swabs in small jars, on it. A man smoking a cigarette, wearing a white overcoat approached Michael with a bottle and held it underneath his nose.

* * *

Maria once again felt the resistance and this time it was more than she could stand as she was hurtled from the image across the black void and back to her physical self in the living room as she fell down backwards.

* * *

Michael blinked and found the use of every part of his body. The man in the coat looked at him.

"Aw, you're awake. They'll be pleased. Heat exhaustion's a bitch, ain't it? Well, time to get you back on the floor. Guar-"

The man didn't get a chance as Michael, as a response for being surprised, had his hand out and flung the man across the room and into the wall, putting him into unconsciousness. To Michael's terror, he knew that sound was probably heard. He knew that he needed to act and act quickly. Exchanging clothes with the man, Michael quickly masked his face to the doctor's and then the doctor's to Michael's. As predicted, a guard came.

"What's all the noise, doc?"

Michael remembered the sort of tone the doctor had and he quickly imitated it.

"Heat exhaustion's a bitch, ain't it? No sooner do I get him up than he falls back down again."

The guard looked down at the "Michael" on the floor. "Well, he's no use to us like this, better put in the tank till he comes through." The guard then lifted up the doctor in disguise and pulled him down the hallway to a locked cellar below. Opening up the hatch, he tossed the body roughly inside, closed the latch and locked it.

_Well, this is an idea, I guess._ Michael thought. He then motioned to a guard who came willingly.

"What can I do ya for, doc?" He asked.

Michael pointed to Max. "That one looks like he's going to fall at any moment. Better bring him on in here."

The guard nodded and walked over and directed Max to the doctor's office. As soon as both were in side, Michael closed the door and held out his hand, sending the guard flying and hitting the wall.

"Wha-" Max began, starring at the fallen guard and at the doctor.

Michael's voice came back as he said, hurriedly, "No time to explain, get into his clothes and mask his face and voice, quick!" Max did as directed and soon was the guard and the guard him. Max dragged himself as another guard appeared in the doorway.

"What's going on, doc?"

"They're dropping like flies, that's what's happening." Michael said. "Better get this one to the tank."

The other guard took the man Max was holding and dragged him off to the "tank" and did the same with him that was done to the doctor. After seeing that the guard was locked down there with the only other person to know, Michael shut the door and turned to Max. Both of them reverted back to their own faces, sighing in the process.

"How did you think of this?" Max asked.

Michael shrugged, "I didn't. I really DID pass out, out there."

Max smiled, "Good going."

Michael nodded, "Well then, shall we get the hell out of here."

Max sighed and looked out at the floor.

Michael groaned, "Aw, hell no! Max, C'mon, we did our good deed for the day by finding that dealer, Gary, and now he's dead and we need to get out of here before _**we**_ get shot!"

Max didn't say anything, he just continued looking out on the floor.

Michael turned away sighing, rubbing his natural face. "Alright, Max. What do you suppose we do to help these people WITHOUT getting shot?"

* * *

Maria had told the others on what she had seen and Liz added by what she had. Isabel had been drained by the experience and had gone off to bed.

"They're being forced to work in a drug lab?" Jesse asked, incredulously.

Both Maria and Liz nodded. "And there are almost a dozen or more guards with guns in there." Liz added.

Everyone looked worryingly at eachother. Just then the front door opened and Jim Valenti came in, looking extremely agitated.

"Hi, you guys." Said in a grumbled tone.

"No luck?" Kyle asked.

Jim took off his jacket and shook his head. "Turns out that van was stolen from a cleaning company, which means Max and Michael could be about just anywhere."

"Well, they're okay, at least." Laurie said, trying to be upbeat.

"How do you know?" Jim asked, he looked around waiting for an explanation.

Liz told him of what they did and he sighed. "I wish you hadn't." He then sat himself in the armchair of the room. "What's you learn?"

"Well," Maria said, "They're in a drug lab, of some kind, being forced to work."

Jim sighed, again, and rubbed his fingers into his eyes. "They're okay, though, right? They're not hurt?"

Liz and Maria nodded.

"They're in some sort of warehouse, very big one, too." Liz said.

Jim, again, thought for a moment and he then asked Liz and Maria to describe it. After they had finished, his eyes seemed to brighten.

"I think I know where that place is." He then hurried to a phone and made a call.

* * *

"You can't be serious, Maxwell." Michael said as he stood by the door, waiting for the next person to come in, should they.

"It's the only thing I can think of that might work. If we can hold Mr. Zoel hostage, then maybe they'll be forced to let the workers go so he can be released."

Michael shook his head; "There are plenty of ways for this to go wrong. They could just fire at us without mercy to us, or to him."

Max shrugged, "Got any better plans to get them and us out of here?"

Michael sighed and looked toward the door. He then moved his hand across his face to turn himself back into the doctor. He then opened the door and ushered a guard over, while Max hid in the opposite corner of the room.

"Tell Mr. Zoel I need to see him, immediately."

The guard thought for a moment and then nodded.

Michael turned to Max, mouthing, "Bad idea." He turned back when he saw, not only Mr. Zoel approach, but his second-in-command, Jonathan.

"What is it, doc?" Mr. Zoel asked.

Michael noticed that Mr. Zoel wasn't stepping into the office but waiting outside the room.

"I need for you to look at something." Michael said.

Mr. Zoel looked unconvinced. "My time is precious, Doctor Javier. Either tell me now what it is or tell Jonathan so I can get back to work."

Michael gulped, but not visibly. It seemed Mr. Zoel wasn't going to comply, which led to a risky alternative if Max's plan was to be carried out.

Michael moved his hand toward himself, in one quick motion, as he did so, as if mirroring the action itself, Mr. Zoel felt his body come hurtling toward the doctor. Michael grabbed Mr. Zoel around the neck and then quickly closed the door shut. Sounds of Jonathan and the guards yelling and bustling towards the door emitted.

Michael put Mr. Zoel into a headlock as he turned to Max.

"Well, now what, fearless leader?"

"First." Max said, he waived his hand across Mr. Zoel's head, knocking him out. Michael set him down on the floor.

"And second?" Michael asked.

Max sighed, "Wait and see."

Michael locked the door as the banging and jostling of the knob came at the door, which followed by Jonathan's warning.

"Open this door now, doc, or whoever you are, or will kill you all inside!"

Michael looked to Max. "What did I tell you."

Max turned to the door, "Quick to kill your leader, huh?"

There was a pause outside, followed by laughter, which was unsettling.

"Leader? He's one man in the whole cartel." Jonathan said. "Killing him, along with you will mean nothing."

Max nodded, "Alright then, why the hurry to get in here, then? Why not shoot us all?"

Michael shot Max a glare.

"It's…it's not important. Again, you have ten seconds to open this door, or we'll start firing."

Max turned to Michael. "There's something important, otherwise they wouldn't give us that option."

Michael frowned, "They're still open to shooting us, Max. I fail to see the difference in choices."

Max sighed and looked down at the figure that was Mr. Zoel. Bending down, Max searched him and found a floppy disk.

"What's this?" Max asked.

"I guess they haven't heard of CD ROM drives yet, huh?" Michael smirked.

"Are you looking for a floppy disk, Jonathan?" Max called out.

There was a longer pause followed by hushed whisper by Jonathan and the guards outside.

"I'll tell you what, give us that disk and we'll let you two go free." Jonathan said.

Max grinned and turned to Michael, "Now, we have them."

Michael shrugged, "If you say so. I still think we're going to get shot at."

Max ignored the comment and turned back to the closed door. "Tell you what, you get this disk ONLY if all the workers, and the two of us, are let go without harm or incident."

Jonathan laughed, "The workers? Are you serious? You think they're here by force?"

Max scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "You're saying they're not?"

"Hell no. They're here because they WANT to be here. We pay them better than they do in their own country. The conditions are hard, but they work happily."

Michael sighed, "Great, just great."

"Now," Jonathan continued, "On the count of five you slip that disk underneath the door or else we start shooting."

Michael gave an "I told you so" look to Max.

"One…two…three…fou-" Jonathan stopped as a banging sound outside omitted followed by loud yells, gunfire, followed by more yellings.

Michael and Max looked at eachother. Mr. Zoel made a groaning sound and sat up, rubbing his head.

Max waived his hand again and sent the man back down to the ground.

"What's going on out there?" Max asked.

Michael shrugged and cracked the door open and peered out through the slit. From what he could see, cops and the guards were shooting eachother, the drug dust was flying everywhere making the whole room invisible, cloudy.

"It looks like a damn cop movie. The police are in there blasting away."

Max's eyebrows raised, "How?"

Michael smiled, "I think we owe it to our friendly, neighborhood, Sheriff Valenti. I think he figured out where we were."

* * *

Jim, along with Maria and Liz, stood outside the warehouse as the officers marched the arrested men while others brought the migrant men out and had them sit along the walls. This operation was big, so Jim had to borrow some men from some other districts. Both Jim and the girls' faces brightened when they saw Michael and Max walk out with two officers to them.

Both Liz and Maria ran to the boys and enveloped them into a deep hug, followed by a kiss.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Maria asked; looking at the plaid shirt and white overcoat Michael was wearing.

Michael grinned, "Nice to see you too, honey."

Jim walked up to them, "I can't tell you how relieved I am to see the both of you alive and well."

"Same said here." Max said as he kissed Liz again.

Max gave the floppy disk to a detective who later came by and announced it was a list of US and Mexican Bankers, probably on the payroll of the Cartel, which was very valuable.

Suddenly, a woman in a baseball cap, sucking on a lollipop approached them, a woman with long black hair accompanied her; both were dressed in dresssuits.

"Good work, Mr. Evans. I knew we could count on you."

All five of them turned toward the women; both Jim and Max scowled at the women.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Jim asked, fiercely.

Agent Kern sighed, "Sorry this had to be done to you, but I couldn't exactly give a job offer if that person wasn't prepared. You see I knew your suspicions would get the best of you and you would try to see if Agent Carmine was who she said she was. She had it prepared for another Agent, Agent Burke, to lead you in the right direction, unfortunately, Agent Burke died in the line of duty."

Michael thought for a moment, "Wait, are you saying that the woman who we found shot, was an FBI Agent?"

Agent Kern nodded, "Her job was just to irritate the man enough to leave and to arouse your suspicion into tracking him down, therefore giving you the motivation to find out about where he's been given the drugs he's been selling. I had no doubts about your abilities, Mr. Evans, or yours, Mr. Gurien."

Max sighed, ruefully. "So…This was all a test to see if I'm committed, wasn't it."

Agent Kern smiled, "Actually…if BOTH of you were. It was planned out for the both of you."

Michael closed his eyes, "Wait, you're saying you want to make FBI Agents out of Max and I?"

Agent Kern nodded, "You'll have to go to Quantico, West Virginia and train there like everybody else, but yes."

Max shook his head, "No, not possible."

"Not going to happen." Michael nodded.

Agent Kern sighed, "Why?"

Max narrowed his gaze, "You know why."

"People ask questions which lead to too many questions." Jim said, his gaze matching Max's.

Agent Kern smiled, "Why do you think we sought you out after Russia? The Director is onboard with my recommendation. People with your extenuating circumstances should use their abilities for the good of all, and you've proven you're capable of doing that by what you did today. You selflessly went out of your way to convict a man of his crime and by doing so you've done more. Don't you want to go even further by helping out those who are in dire need by people like us? People like you two? Aren't you tired of running? Wouldn't you rather be helping?"

They were put into a corner and Michael knew it. Their one weakness that she could exploit. If Michael knew Max, he was probably feeling as helpless as he was, right now.

"The questions still remain." Jim said, vigilant.

Agent Kern nodded, "They do. However, they shall remain sealed for now and for always, regardless of your decision to take up this offer."

"We have families here, people who are dependent upon us." Michael said.

Agent Kern nodded, "As they should. Should they want to come and stay with you during your training, we do have homes for you to stay in while you train at the academy."

Michael looked to Maria, her face expression-less. He had hoped that she would try and direct him, give him some sort of indication on what to say or where to go.

"I'll need more time." Michael said, finally.

Agent Kern nodded.

"Same as me." Max said.

Agent Kern walked up and handed her cards to the two of them.

"I hope to hear from you shortly. Till then, good work Mr. Evans, and you too, Mr. Guerin." She then turned to Agent Carmine and the two then walked away to a parked car out in the distances.

The following day was a day of contemplation and of thought. Michael laughed to himself as the thing that they had dreaded most was Lira's arrival to have them go back to Antar that was nothing compared to this.

Getting in bed with the enemy had its pros and the obvious cons. Getting out of something like this would be harder than getting in.

"Do you have to think about this now? You're getting married tomorrow, you two." Amy said.

Both Michael and Max sighed equally out of frustration.

"I really don't see what the problem is." Dane said.

"Oh, really?" Michael said, scowling at Dane. "Did Ko'dairk zap some brain cells out of you back in Oregon? We're Aliens, you idiot. We have everything and a lot more to lose if we accept this offer."

Dane shrugged, "Sure, if you wanna look at it in that way. Although, you could look at it in a different way, like you spying on them, for a change."

"Like that would work." Michael scoffed.

Liz and Maria still remained quiet and unopinionated about this topic, which was unsettling to Michael, as they seemed to be the voice of reason for both he and Max.

"What do you guys think?" Laurie asked Liz and Maria.

Liz took a deep breath and said, "It really shouldn't be up to us, it should be up to the guys, after all they were offered this."

"Still," Max said, "I think we'd like to hear your two's opinion on it."

Maria shook her head and smiled, "It shouldn't matter what we think, it's still up to you guys to figure out if this the best thing for you, for us, actually."

Both Michael and Max groaned in unison.

* * *

The day followed as usual, Lira, who had been staying with Brody and Sydney, came by to try and convince them that by staying was the wrong choice and only by coming back to Antar would all of them find peace and refuge. Again, the four of them turned her down and again, she promised she wouldn't stop asking until they finally yielded. The rest of the day was pretty mundane. Michael, Kyle, and Dane went to the park to play ball while Max, Liz, and Andrew decided to go to the Albuquerque Zoo. Maria, Ava, and Laurie hung out at the park chatting with eachother while Maria looked after Alex and Madeline. Isabel and Jesse spent their time together, as did Jim and Amy. The day wound down slowly and finally came to slow end as the sun set against the horizon.

Michael sat outside the DeLuca house on the porch swing, twiddling his thumbs, thinking.

The screen door opened and soon Max was outside as well, a bottle of Snapple in his hand.

"Nice 'set', huh?" He stated.

Michael shrugged, "I guess."

Max sighed and sat down next to Michael, the swing groaning, slightly, as more weight was added to it. The two swung while Max took deep drinks from his Snapple.

"Where do go from here, Max?" Michael asked, not looking at him but at the sunset.

Max sighed and closed his eyes, cradling the bottle of peach-tea in the palms of his hands. "I don't know, honestly."

"I was actually looking forward to going into construction, getting my hands blistered, working long hours, but now…"

"No one's forcing us to do this, Michael." Max said, pointedly.

Michael laughed ruefully, "Aren't they? I mean, it's what THEY want, isn't it? Have us right where they want us, so they can observe us, control us."

Max shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. I mean, they will be watching us, I'm sure, but won't we be watching them as well? I'm sure they know that."

Neither of them spoke after that. Then, after a while Michael said, "I just can't picture myself in a suit."

Max laughed and nearly dropped his Snapple. "Neither can I, really."

Michael sighed, "What about you? Are willing to do this?"

Max went silent and then said, "You know, it's funny. I thought the hardest things ahead of me were being a father to my estranged son. To get remarried to Liz and finally live a life without fear of being found, again; to stop worrying about our safety and to try to find some normalcy of a life to hold on to. But now, with this on top of all that, I'd hate to go and do this thing alone, if I do it at all."

Michael smiled, "You know I got your back, no matter what."

Max smiled back, "I guess I need hear it every now and then."

Michael nodded, turning back to the sunset which was beginning to escape under the horizon. The dark, star-lit sky, drawing nearer.

"Should we do this, we got to stay together, all of us. Liz, Maria, the kids, all of us. I think should one of us feel like it isn't the right choice we should bail, and bail quickly."

Max nodded, "Agreed."

Michael took the Snapple away from Max and took a drink. "Now for the hardest part, I have to get married tomorrow."

Max smirked as the two of them got up and headed back inside. "It's not THAT bad."

"Says you, you've already gone through with it once." Michael said, slugging him as he closed the screen door.

* * *

The very next day, All the men went off to pick up their tuxedos as the women, who already had their dresses, stayed at home and got ready to prepare.

Jim, the Evans', the Parker's, and Brody helped set up the outdoor ceremony. Setting up the platform, the seat, the archway, and the flowers while everyone else got situated.

In the store, adjusting their ties and buttoning up their shirts, Jesse helped the grooms as Kyle and Dane watched with humor as Michael fidgeted.

"So, have you guys decided about the gig at the FBI?" Dane asked.

Michael looked to Max who turned to Dane, "We're still thinking about it. I think Maria and Liz have to put their thoughts into if we're ever to come up with a decision."

Kyle laughed, "What a bunch of whimps!"

Michael smirked, "Say, Kyle, I heard from Maria that Ava's thinking about marriage herself, you ready?"

Kyle turned white and quickly muttered something incoherent while Dane laughed out loudly.

Meanwhile, back at the DeLuca home, The girls already had their dresses on and were now fixing their hair.

"The guys still seem uncertain about those FBI jobs, handed to them." Laurie remarked.

Isabel smiled, "Both of you know those two are helpless without you two. Why not tell them what your thoughts are on it and help them decide quickly?"

Maria looked to Liz who sighed; "They've never asked what WE want. I want to go back to school and Maria wants to train to be a professional singer. They know this, yet that want instruction on how to live their life."

"Ah," Said Ava, "So all of this "you figure it out on your own" is just your way of getting back at them, huh?"

Maria sighed, "Sort of, I mean, I know it's something we need to talk about together, but…"

Isabel smiled, as she teased with Liz's hair, "But nothing, honey. Besides, haven't you two realize that you could probably get away with those things while they're off to being trained as government agents? You could go to school Liz and have the government PAY for your school, same thing for you and your Singing, Maria. They've got the government eating out of their hands because they think they'll be obedient and play by their rules. I say, milk them all for what they're worth."

Ava and Laurie laughed.

Amy, Diane, and Nancy came in already dressed as well.

"Well, we're all set up outside, we're just waiting on the boys." Amy said.

"Well, we're almost done in here." Said Isabel.

Liz looked to Maria, who looked back at her with a shrug and a smile; Liz then smiled back.

"Ah, to be married for the first time." Said Amy, touching up on her daughter's hair.

"For the second." Liz said, grinning.

"To the same man, no less." Ava laughed.

Everyone in the room laughed, heartily.

* * *

Max and Michael stood on opposite side of Kyle who was presiding, albeit weirdly, as the minister of the ceremony. Once Kyle had announced that he wanted to do the ceremony and that he, to the shock of everyone, announced that he had an online certificate to perform wedding ceremonies, Kyle's dad could only comment, "You COULD have been a star athlete…"

Jesse and Jim acted as best men to Max and Michael, while Dane sat in the unoccupied audience chairs. Soon, the Evans', the Parker's, Brody, Sydney, and Andrew and even Lira came and sat themselves in the chairs as they watched for the front doors of the back of the house to open. Nancy held both Alex and Madeline in her arms, both making baby cooing noises.

First, Laurie, Isabel, and Ava came out, each of them holding a bundle of lilies in their hands; all of them dressed in light blue dresses.

As soon as they had gotten into their positions, Maria, accompanied by her mother, came out. She held the biggest smile she had ever displayed. Michael smiled back at her as she was led up to him and Amy gave Maria's hand, that she was holding, to Michael, who took it and gently kissed the top of it. She hit him in the head with her flowers.

"Cheater."

"Hey, the hand doesn't count." He grinned.

Next, Liz came out, accompanied by her father, Jeff, she too had a wide smile on her face, which she held all the way up to Max as her father gave her hand to his. Once Jeff had settled into the chair next to his wife, Kyle began.

"Dearly beloved, friends and family…and Lira. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union between four people, and no not in the kinky way."

Jim scowled at his son, while Ava and Laurie tried to sustain their laughter.

Kyle continued, "I can't think of any couples better than the ones you see before you. They've all gone through a lot, and, well, I've been there with them and seen it first hand. High School, getting chased by the FBI, hunted by demonic Aliens, and now they may be headed off to join the FBI. God help us with these two defending our country."

This time, everyone laughed, including Max and Michael.

"Now," Kyle said, "They shall be joined in perfect bliss. Do you Max Evans take Liz Parker to be your lawfully wedded wife…again…to honor, to cherish, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do." Max said.

"I do." Liz replied.

Kyle nodded; he then turned to Michael and Maria. Do you Michael Guerin, take Maria DeLuca as your lawfully wedded wife? To honor, to cherish, in sickness and in health, without bailing out on the last minute of this speech or till death do you part?"

Michael scratched the corner of his eyebrow while giving a smirk at Kyle. "I do."

"I do too." Maria said.

Kyle nodded and directed his attention to the audience, "For all those who witness today, and should there be no objection, I hereby honor these four's wishes and declare them husbands and wives."

Everyone stood up and cheered as the men kissed their wives.

Maria looked to Michael, smiling. "Wow, it actually happened, Guerin."

Michael shrugged, "It's all because of you, Mrs. Guerin."

She pointed a finger at him, "Watch it, buster. It's Mrs. DeLuca-Guerin." The two then kissed again.

Max and Liz swayed in eachother's arms, Max looking lovingly down at Liz, while Liz looked up the same way at Max. Then, suddenly, Liz stood rigid; her mouth gaped open and her whole body convulsed.

"Liz?" Max looked at her, startled.

Liz's eyes rolled up to the back of her head and then she fell away from Max and off the platform on to the grass below.

Max jumped off the platform as others scurried to Liz.

Just as Max got to her, Liz seemed to be coming around, rubbing her head as Max and Kyle helped her off the ground.

"What happened?" Ava asked, giving Liz back the flowers that she previously had in her hands.

Liz took them and smiled, looking at everyone. "I had a premonition."

"A pretty big one, seeing as you fell right off the stage." Kyle remarked.

Max looked concerned. "What was it, Liz? Are we in immediate danger?"

Liz smiled and shook her head, "No, we're not."

Everyone looked impatiently and anxiously at Liz.

"Well," Michael starred at her, "What was it that you saw?"

* * *

Liz's Vision:

Standing in a crowded stadium at an Offspring concert, a young man in his twenties accompanied by a teenaged guy and a teenage girl, enjoy their evening with the rest of the crowd. Banging their heads and mouthing the lyrics to the songs being performed on stage, the eldest of the two barely pays attention to the concert. His focus is on a familiar dark, longhaired, brunette a few feet in front of him; her image is that of impeccable beauty in his eyes. His friends notice his distraction and his male friend elbows him. Neither of them can hear eachother due to the fans and the band performing onstage.

Soon, the concert ends and all of them head out to the parking lot.

"Man, that was such a blast! I'd marry Dexter Holland in a heartbeat, if he'd ask me." Says the girl, walking with the two guys.

"You're easily amused, Madeline." Says her brother whose walking next to her, he gave Madeline a little shove.

Madeline shoved back, "I saw you enjoying yourself, Alex!"

Both Alex and Madeline teased eachother back and forth, unaware that their friend isn't paying attention to them.

He was older then they were, by about six years, although none of them brought it up or held it against anyone of them. It wasn't that big of an issue.

All three of them considered eachother family, with him being like their older brother.

The oldest of Alex and Madeline looked on ahead; his eyes were still fixated on the girl from the concert. She was walking ahead of them, talking on a cell.

"Andrew?" Alex called out to him.

"Hey!" Madeline waved her hand in his face and snapped her fingers several times.

"What?" He asked, finally looking to the two.

"What do you mean "what?" Man, can you please, for one minute give up this crazy 'guy loving and watching from afar' routine?" Alex said, nodding toward the girl ahead of them.

"Yeah, I don't think April Halliwell's going to like it if she finds out you do this." Madeline piped in.

Andrew scoffed, "Yeah, sure. She doesn't even know I exist. How's she going to pick up on me-"

"Andy, you gotta grow some and just go up to her, man. This is getting old, what you're doing. It's what your dad did." Alex said, sighing.

Andrew sighed, a deep resonated sigh, and kicked a can in front of him off into the distance. However, when it stopped clattering, he could hear a scream.

Andrew looked back ahead and noticed April wasn't there anymore. Andrew, then, took off sprinting.

Ignoring the calls from his friends behind him, Andrew Evans looked into all the alleyways as he ran ahead. The yelling was becoming louder and as soon as he reached the place where it was originating, he heard a gunshot. It was followed by hurried footsteps and he saw two guys running hurriedly from the alleyway, one of them had April's purse clutched tightly in his hand.

Andrew ignored them and proceeded into the alleyway to find April coughing up blood, her abdomen bleeding, profusely.

Andrew knelt down next to her; she looked up at him, amongst her coughing and quiet sobs.

"A-And…rew?" She gasped.

"You know me?" Andrew asked, astonished.

April coughing stopped and she took one last ragged breath before that stopped as well.

Andrew's eyes went wide and he looked all around him before putting his hand on her wound.

"Oh, my God…"

Alex and Madeline had just reached Andrew and both were looking down on the two of them. Alex proceeded forward and put a hand on Andrew's shoulder, he started to tug.

"Andrew, man, what the hell are you doing! You know we're not allowed to-"

"Shut it!" Andrew barked.

Alex released his grip, sighing regrettably.

Andrew closed his eyes and his hand glowed. April's wound began to close up on itself and suddenly her eyes came alive, as well as her gasp as she jerked forward, coughing.

Alex looked around them, nervously. "C'mon, Andrew, we gotta split!"

Andrew suddenly realized what he had done and he, looked around and found a broken beer bottle. Taking it he wiped the residual blood that was on his hand onto the edges of the bottle and then looked to April, who was staring at her abdomen where the bullet-wound once was.

"You…you got poked by this beer bottle, alright?" Andrew clumsily explained.

"Andrew! C'mon!" Madeline yelled.

April Halliwell's eyes looked into the deep-dark ones of Andrew Evans, which now were pleading.

"Please don't tell anyone." Andrew said, in a whisper. He then got up off the ground and rejoined Alex and Madeline, the three of them soon took off around the corner, leaving April watching them, thinking.

_Who IS he?_

The End

* * *

A/N: Cheesy and predictable ending, right? Aw, well, it's worth it. Hope you've all enjoyed the 'journey'. I sure, as hell, have enjoyed writing it and reading your responses to it.

Q-n-P

Here are all those I want to thank for taking this journey with me and responding to it in kind:

Middleageslover

MlleSinistre

Loke14

RedJewel2662

Bailey1ak

Buddha-boy

Magali

Starfire192486

Keirah

Insidious heart

Sunshine-faery

Nikkitan89

Ruth Emma Renoldy

Regina Halliwell

CandyGirl97

RoswellJunkie

NoSuchThing224

Somewhere87

RBDFAN

JaimeBelanger

Musichead119

Sveta89

Crowskisses

Guerindeluca

And to all of you who have 'favorite' and 'alert'-ed this story, and myself, thankyou. Glad you could enjoy this.

Quick-n-Popular


End file.
